HM Treasury

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason Treasury Ministers will not hold pre-Budget meetings with representatives of the alcohol industry in 2017.

Jane Ellison: Ministers hold regular meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, including from the alcohol industry, with a number of these meetings having taken place in recent weeks.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been accrued to the public purse from fines levied by HM Revenue and Customs for late submission of tax returns in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: It is not possible to separately identify the figure for late submission of tax returns, but in 2015-16 the total accrued revenue for all fines and penalties was £1.0 billion. This is reported on page 160 of HM Revenue and Customs’ Annual Report and Accounts, which are available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016.

Revenue and Customs: Electronic Government

Cat Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the planned expenditure is on the HM Revenue and Customs identity assurance system planned to replace the Government Gateway service from March 2018.

Cat Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which departments plan to use the HM Revenue and Customs identity verification service planned to replace the Government Gateway service from March 2018.

Cat Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which transactions are planned to be processed via the (a) new identity verification service planned by HM Revenue and Customs and (b) Government Digital Service platform Verify when the Government Gateway service expires in March 2018.

Jane Ellison: GOV.UK Verify will be the single identification service for individuals. The authentication service that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is developing to replace the Government Gateway will complement the existing GOV.UK Verify service for business representatives. HMRC agreed with the Cabinet Office and Department for Work and Pensions to take on responsibility for decommissioning the existing Government Gateway, in line with current contractual arrangements, by March 2018. HMRC and the Government Digital Service are working with government departments to help them find suitable solutions beyond that point.The cost of building a replacement Gateway service is commercially sensitive information, and so cannot be provided.

Treasury: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much income has been accrued to his Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Simon Kirby: The Treasury does not have any premium rate telephone lines and therefore has not accrued any income in this manner in the last five years.

Cash Dispensing: Urban Areas

Mr Clive Betts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of changes to the level of access to free ATMs on high streets and local communities.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other cabinet colleagues on measures to maintain free ATM provision following reports of a review being undertaken by LINK.

Simon Kirby: In line with the practice of successive administrations details of ministerial discussions are not routinely disclosed. The Government believes that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers in the UK. To this end, the Government is engaging with LINK and its members, including banks and Independent ATM Deployers, to ensure that widespread free access to cash is maintained. The Government is encouraged to hear that LINK’s members have committed to further work to find a solution to the dispute. The Government is also working closely on the issue with the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which was established in 2015 to promote competition, innovation and the needs of end users within payment systems. The PSR is in regular contact with LINK, and is monitoring the situation closely. The PSR has the power to act if LINK or any of its members act in a way that conflicts with any of its objectives.

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Gill Furniss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to tackle authorised push-payment scams.

Simon Kirby: In 2015 the Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to ensure that payment systems work well for those that use them. Following Which?’s super-complaint about Authorised Push Payment (APP) Scams last year, the PSR has developed a programme of work to better protect consumers and increase awareness of payment scams. The banking industry will lead on the following work: • Developing, collecting and publishing scam statistics to address the lack of clear data on the scale and scope of the problems, and to enable monitoring over time.• Developing a common approach or best practice standards that banks should follow when responding to reported APP scams.• Developing a common understanding of what information can be shared under the current law and any key legal barriers to sharing further information, liaising with the Information Commissioner’s Office as appropriate. The PSR will monitor this work and review industry progress in the second half of 2017. The PSR is also undertaking work to consider the potential for operators of the Faster Payments and CHAPS payment systems to play an expanded role in helping to minimise the consumer harm caused by APP scams. In addition to this, the PSR has recognised the benefits that enhanced assurance data could bring in this space, and is currently undertaking work on a possible ‘Confirmation of Payee’ solution, whereby entering the account details would bring up the name of the account holder.

Treasury: Senior Civil Servants

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of senior civil servants of his Department are (a) men, (b) women, (c) disabled, (d) from working-class backgrounds and (e) from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Simon Kirby: Diversity data for Senior Civil Servants can be found on page 79 of the HM Treasury annual report and accounts 2015 to 2016. The report can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-report

Pay: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many firms were investigated for alleged (a) non-payment of and (b) other breaches of national minimum or living wage legislation in each local authority in Wales in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW or NLW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews all complaints referred to the department. HMRC does not record statistics on complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions, constituencies or counties. In 2015/16, HMRC investigated 2,667 businesses, identifying £10.3m of underpaid wages for 58,080 workers.

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of the recipients of funding from the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme were (a) female entrepreneurs and (b) companies with at least one woman in a leadership position in each year since that scheme was established.

Jane Ellison: The Government does not hold this information. HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information on the number, role or gender of officers and directors of companies that apply to use the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Electoral Commission: Advertising

Stephen Doughty: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the Commission's policy is on online advertising; and how much was spent on online advertising with (a) Breitbart News and (b) each other outlet in each of the last three years.

Bridget Phillipson: As part of its work to encourage people to register to vote, the Electoral Commission runs multi-media advertising campaigns before electoral events. Its most recent campaign led up to the voter registration deadline ahead of the Northern Ireland Assembly election scheduled for Thursday 2 March.Online advertising is one of several channels used by the Commission and includes a number of elements, including ‘display’ advertising, whereby the Commission’s voter registration advertising appears on a wide range of websites, including various news media outlets, which voters are likely to visit for information on elections or about political interests. In order to achieve a breadth of coverage, the Commission often use the Google Display Network (GDN) which is a system run by Google that enables advertisers to place online banner ads across a wide range of news, blogs and other websites, and is a commonly used method for publicly-funded campaigns. They brief media buying agencies to purchase space on the GDN based on the audiences they want to reach. The algorithms that sit behind the GDN will automatically identify the most appropriate websites for ads to appear on, based on the audience visiting those sites. This is a cost-effective way to purchase advertising space and to ensure that a diversity of voters see messages multiple times – ads for the campaign in Northern Ireland appeared on more than 5,000 websites.Historical data on individual website spending for all previous campaigns within the last three years is not held by the Commission. However, the Commission can confirm that as part of the recent campaign in Northern Ireland, the Commission’s spend relating to Breitbart News totals £19.51. This equates to 0.7% of the Commission’s overall advertising spend with the GDN in that campaign, and a total media budget for the campaign of £140,000 which included TV, press, billboard, radio and social media advertising.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment Schemes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to help people with long-term illness return to work.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to building a society that works for everyone, where success in life is no longer defined by birth or circumstance. A disability or health condition should not dictate the path a person is able to take in life – or in the workplace. What should count is a person’s talents and their determination and aspiration to succeed. The Government offers a wide suite of programmes and initiatives to support disabled people and people with a long term health condition to enter and return to work, including the Work Programme, Work Choice and Specialist Employability Support, which all provide specialist support for long-term unemployed people and disabled people. We also already provide support to employers to help them recruit and retain disabled people and people with health conditions: for example, the Disability Confident campaign, the Access to Work scheme and the Fit for Work service. But we recognise more can be done to further drive and support employer action. But we know there is still more to be done to ensure that we have a system that works for everyone and is better tailored to the needs of the individual. This is why the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health published ‘Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper’ in October 2016, which sets out the Government’s proposals for improving work and health outcomes for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions. We held a public consultation on all proposals set out in the Green Paper between 31st October and 17th February, during which time we met with and heard from a wide range of stakeholders. We are now carefully evaluating all that we heard in this period as we consider next steps.

European Social Fund

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to ensure funds of equivalent value to the UK's allocation from the European Social Fund are made available for the same purposes after the UK leaves the EU.

Damian Hinds: The Government has confirmed that it will guarantee funding for European Social Fund and other EU Structural and Investment Fund projects, even where they continue after we have left the EU. Funding for these projects will be honoured, if they provide good value for money and are in line with domestic spending priorities. As a result, stakeholder organisations will have certainty over future funding and should continue to bid for competitive EU funds while the UK remains a member of the EU. Each Government Department will take responsibility for the allocation of money to projects in line with these conditions and the wider rules on public spending. In the longer term we will want to consider the future of all programmes that are currently EU funded. Leaving means we have the opportunity to make our own decisions about how best to deliver on the policy objectives, previously targeted by EU funding. The full detail of the Government announcement can be found at the following website link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-certainty-on-eu-funding-for-hundreds-of-british-projects

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much income has been accrued to his Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Nokes: The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) current policy is that to claim benefit should be free so it uses 0800 telephone numbers for these calls. The Department uses 0345 telephone numbers where its customers call for other reasons, and these are calls that typically take less time to resolve. Any charges that apply to these calls will be set by the customer’s telephone or mobile operator and vary depending on call plan type and the time of day at which the call is made. If a customer raises concerns over the cost of a call, we will offer to call them back. The Department does not use premium rate telephone numbers. Since January 2008 there have been no revenue sharing numbers in use in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Children: Maintenance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) publish or (b) place in the Library a copy of the memorandum of understanding between his Department and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on requests by the Child Maintenance Service to HMRC for income information from paying parents' self-assessment tax returns.

Caroline Nokes: Our memorandum of understanding with HMRC regarding use of information for the Child Maintenance Service does not contain specific detail regarding information from self-assessment tax returns, as the relevant information for the child maintenance calculation is the total gross taxable income figure, which may or may not contain information from self-assessment tax returns. We do not plan to publish this MOU or place a copy in the Library.

Supported Housing: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of funding for supported housing; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: In his Ministerial Statement to the House of Commons on 15th September 2016 the Secretary of State confirmed that the new funding model will ensure that the supported housing sector will be funded at the same level it would have otherwise been in 2019/20, taking into account the effect of Government policy on social sector rents.This can be accessed from the following link:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-09-15/HCWS154/ A joint DWP/DCLG twelve week consultation on supported housing ended on 13 February. This was aimed at supported housing commissioners and providers, developers and investors, residents and those who represent their views. Almost 600 responses have been received. We will work with the sector using the feedback from the consultation to consider our wider strategic goals, such as responding to the expected growing future demand and ensuring we maintain people’s independence.

Sick Leave

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what standards the Government has put in place to assess whether a patient is physically healthy enough to return to work after illness; and what mechanisms are in place for appeals related to such assessments.

Penny Mordaunt: Registered Medical Practitioners, usually General Practitioners, assess whether a patient’s health condition affects their fitness for work. If this is the case, they may issue a Statement of Fitness for Work (or fit note) from the eight day of sickness indicating whether the patient is ‘not fit for work’ or ‘maybe fit for work taking account of the following advice’. The fit note is provided to the patient’s employer for sick pay purposes or to this Department to support a claim to health related benefits. The period the advice covers is recorded although if the patient feels able to return to work before the end date suggested they may return to work with their employer’s agreement. The information contained in the fit note is treated as advice for employers. There is no appeals process. A doctor may also refer the patient to Fit for Work for an occupational health assessment if they are likely to be off work for four weeks or more. For Universal Credit and Employment Support Allowance claimants, the Work Capability Assessment is the functional assessment used to determine whether or not claimants are fit for work. People dissatisfied with the decision on their claim can ask for a mandatory reconsideration and, if they remain dissatisfied, can then appeal the decision at the First-tier Tribunal. The ‘Improving Lives’ Green Paper consultation sought views on how we can improve arrangements for supporting patient returns to work after illness and we are now considering the responses.

New Enterprise Allowance: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of New Enterprise Allowance (a) recipients and (b) mentors were women in each NUTS 1 designated region in each year since 2011-12.

Damian Hinds: This information is not available. We do however hold the following: Number and proportion of claimants who started New Enterprise Allowance by gender:April 2011 to September 2016 Male108,45062%Female66,21038%Total175,370-  Number and proportion of claimants who started New Enterprise Allowance by Government Office Region: April 2011 to September 2016 North East11,280North West25,000Yorkshire & Humberside20,340West Midlands16,750East Midlands9,990East of England14,000South East13,960London25,000South West10,860Scotland16,360Wales8,700Total175,370(1) Data Source - DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database June 2016 for April 2011 to December 2015, DWP PRaP database November 2016 for Jan 2015 to Sept 2016. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (3) Proportions may not sum to 100 due to rounding and unknown characteristics. We do not hold information on mentors.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been affected by the revised benefit cap in each local authority area in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The number of households affected by the benefit cap by each Local Authority area in Scotland is published and can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html The latest available data shows the number of households capped at November 2016. The changes in cap levels were rolled-out across Local Authorities from 7 November 2016 to 20 January 2017. Due to this phased implementation of the new levels, and the way in which monthly data on capped households is returned to DWP over a four week rolling period, the main impact of these changes will not be seen in the Benefit Cap Official Statistics until May 2017, when data to February 2017 will first be published.

Housing Benefit: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated additional cost is to each household in the Glasgow Local Authority Area renting in the private rented sector affected by the revised benefit cap; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated additional cost is to each household in the Glasgow Local Authority Area renting in social housing affected by the revised benefit cap; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: Out of those expected to be affected by the lower benefit cap, the average additional cost per household in the Glasgow Local Authority Area, renting in the private rented sector, is estimated to be an average of £47 per week. Out of those expected to be affected by the lower benefit cap, the average additional cost per household in the Glasgow Local Authority Area, renting in the social rented sector has been estimated to be an average of £54 per week.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the personal support package in the Government's Improving Lives Green Paper, what the minimum number of minutes of support per year will be which people in the employment and support allowance work-related activity group will receive from their work coach.

Penny Mordaunt: The amount of time Employment and Support Allowance work-related activity group claimants (and their equivalent in Universal Credit) are supported by their work coach will be tailored to their individual circumstances and support needs. This may include being invited to work focused interviews with their work coach and also offered appropriate support through external provision.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many local authorities offered the Tell Us Once service for registering child births in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Tell Us Once (TUO) is a voluntary service administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is offered at the time of a verified birth and death by local authorities (LAs). It offers the citizen the option of sharing information with a range of public sector services at one time, avoiding the need for the citizen to separately inform multiple organisations. The table below gives details on the numbers providing the Birth Service for each of the last 5 years. YearNumber of LAs offering TUO birth service20122222013234201421620152012016140

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Tell Us Once service.

Caroline Nokes: Tell Us Once is a voluntary service administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. It is offered at the time of a verified birth and death by local authorities (LAs). It offers the citizen the option of sharing information with a range of public sector services at one time, avoiding the need for the citizen to separately inform multiple organisations. Since April 2012 the service has been subject to routine management scrutiny and its performance is regularly reviewed against a range of measures. These include the level of take up by LAs and the blend of channels used by the citizen to access the service. These reveal that take-up and population coverage of the service continue to rise.

Jobcentres: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff of each grade and gender were employed at (a) Cardiff and (b) Penarth Jobcentre in each of the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: The number of staff employed at Cardiff Alexandra House, Cardiff Charles Street and Penarth Jobcentres by gender in each of the last 12 months is shown in the following table:  Cardiff Alexandra House JobcentreCardiff Charles Street JobcentrePenarth JobcentreFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleJan-1766296930127Dec-1667296930127Nov-1668297032127Oct-1668307032127Sep-1669297231117Aug-1668297333117Jul-1668297332117Jun-1668317634117May-1664297432117Apr-1666297632117Mar-1667297433117Feb-1668297633117   The number of staff employed at Cardiff Alexandra House, Cardiff Charles Street and Penarth Jobcentres by grade in each of the last 12 months is shown in the following table:  Cardiff Alexandra House JobcentreCardiff Charles Street JobcentrePenarth JobcentreAOEOHEOAOEOHEOSEOEOHEOSEOJan-171175915786 15**Dec-161176915795 15**Nov-161177916815 15**Oct-161178916815 15**Sep-161277916825 14**Aug-161276917835*14**Jul-161277817825*14**Jun-161476919855*14**May-161471819806*14**Apr-161572822796*14**Mar-161573821796*14**Feb-161871825776*14**   In line with standard departmental practice in statistics, we do not publish details of numbers less than 5 as this would breach data protection obligations. Therefore all records of less than 5 have been annotated with an asterisk (*).

Jobcentres: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of 20 February 2017, Official Report, column 768, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the proposals for jobcentres will raise utilisation across the city of Liverpool from 66 per cent to 95 per cent; and what the current utilisation rate is of the jobcentres in (a) Wavertree and (b) Edge Hill.

Damian Hinds: The falling claimant count and the increased use of our online services in recent years mean that 20% of rent is going toward space we are not using. In response, we have sought to redesign our estate in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer while continuing to deliver vital support to our claimants. Many of our offices across Liverpool are currently underutilised, meaning that we are spending money on rent for space that is unused rather than on services and support. The proposal would see a reduction in the number of sites, from 14 Jobcentres to 10 Jobcentres resulting in a space utilisation improvement from 66% to 95%. Merging our staff and services offers the opportunity to maintain and improve the services we provide to claimants across Liverpool while offering the best value for money for the taxpayer. With 19 front of house and 16 back of house full time equivalent staff occupying 820 m2 of space, utilisation is currently 53% at Wavertree Jobcentre. With 82 front of house and 9 back of house full time equivalent staff occupying 2,307 m2 space, utilisation is currently 60% at Edge Hill Jobcentre.

Home Office

Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release of 29 December 2016, psychoactive substances ban six months on: almost 500 arrests and first convictions, what the alleged offences were for each person arrested; and which police force carried out each arrest.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release of 29 December 2016, psychoactive substances ban six months on: almost 500 arrests and first convictions, of the 500 people arrested how many were (a) charged with an offence and (b) prosecuted with an offence under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016; how many of those prosecutions were (i) unsuccessful and (ii) successful; and of the four prosecutions that resulted in prison sentences, if she will list for each case (A) the grounds for prosecution, (B) how the defendants pleaded, (C) whether those defendants were found guilty of any other offences and (D) what sentence was given by the court.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many premises and prohibition (a) notices and (b) orders have been issued since the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 came into force.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collected centrally.The figures in the press release of 29 December provided an early snapshot of enforcement activity since the commencement of the Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA). They were based on voluntary data returned to the National Police Chiefs’ Council by 44 police forces in the United Kingdom covering the period 26 May to 26 November 2016.We are undertaking a formal review of the Act and the review will report its findings by late 2018.

Refugees: Children

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children outside of formal camps in Greece and Italy are assessed for relocation to the UK under the Dublin Regulation and Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have seconded an expert to Greece to support these efforts, and are working in conjunction with the Greek authorities, UNHCR and NGOs to identify children whose best interests may be served by a transfer to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act, pending the publication of the basis on which the transfers will be made.In Italy, our long-standing secondee is also working closely with the Italian authorities. Our secondees are also working to support the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin Regulation, in order to ensure that children with close family in the UK can be reunited. Furthermore, the UK has established a £10 million Refugee Children’s Fund to support the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children arriving in Europe.

Refugees: Children

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the eligibility criteria for the 150 remaining places announced under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, and for any further transfers to the UK, will prioritise individual vulnerability and the best interests of children.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We will announce in due course the basis on which further children will be transferred from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests, under section 67 of the Immigration Act to the specified number.

Sex Establishments: Licensing

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2017 to Question 62659, on sex establishments: licensing, for what reason there is no right given to objectors to appeal against a local authority licensing committee's decision to grant a sexual entertainment licence.

Brandon Lewis: Licensing requirements for sexual entertainment venues are set out in the Policing and Crime Act 2009. The absence of a right of appeal against a local authority licensing committee's decision is counter-balanced by the additional conditions prospective licensees must satisfy such as having regard to the characteristics of the area and the use to which other premises in the vicinity are put.When considering an application for the grant, renewal or transfer of a licence the appropriate authority should have regard to any observations submitted to it by the chief officer of police and any objections that they have received from anyone else within 28 days of the application. Any person can object to an application but the objection should be relevant to the grounds set out in paragraph 12 of Schedule 3 to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 for refusing a licence. As licences must be applied for annually, licensing committees are able to take into account any relevant objections received during this time.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded instances there were of police cells being used as places of safety for people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in 2015-16.

Brandon Lewis: Police force figures collated and published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council indicate that police cells in England and Wales were used as places of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 a total of 2,100 times in 2015/16 – a 54 per cent reduction on the previous year.In addition, in 2015/16 the Home Office requested trial data from police forces in England and Wales on the use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, including more detailed information about the people detained and to what place of safety they were subsequently taken. 15 forces voluntarily submitted data in response to the pilot data collection.On the basis of these data, the Home Office published experimental statistics to give an indicative picture of the proportion of instances where a police cell was used as a place of safety following detention under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. These data can be found in Annex B of the statistical publication ‘Police powers and procedures’: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2016

Home Office: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much income has been accrued to her Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: There are no Premium Lines within the Home Office, so there has been no revenue in the last five years.

Slavery

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that companies which find evidence of modern slavery within their supply chains are required to report such evidence.

Sarah Newton: The Government has published guidance for businesses on tackling modern slavery which sets out how businesses should report incidents of modern slavery to the relevant authorities. The guidance is available on the gov.uk website here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-in-supply-chains-a-practical-guide.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2017 to Question 49107, on Islamic State: British nationals abroad, how many of those people (a) travelled abroad to take part in the Syrian conflict in each year of that conflict and (b) have returned to the UK.

Mr Ben Wallace: Approximately 850 UK-linked individuals of national security concern have travelled to take part in the Syrian conflict. We estimate that just under half of these have returned and that approximately 15 per cent have been killed. For reasons of national security, we are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of travellers and returners for each year.

Police: Greater London

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to maintain police teams dedicated to each ward in Greater London.

Brandon Lewis: Decisions about how policing resources are best deployed are for Chief Constables and democratically accountable Police and Crime Commissioners and, in London, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime. They are responsible for ensuring the needs of the local community are met.

Hate Crime: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of hate crime have been (a) reported and (b) prosecuted in each of the last 12 months in each police force area in Wales.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office collect and publish statistics on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police on an annual basis. In 2015/16, the most recently published data, the police recorded 2,405 hate crimes in Wales. The statistical bulletin, which includes the number of hate crimes recorded by police force area (Appendix Table 2.01), can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2015-to-2016.The Home Office does not hold data on the number of hate crimes prosecuted in the last 12 months. Data for the number of prosecutions for the year ending March 2016 is to be published by the Ministry of Justice in May 2017. The Home Office does hold some data on the outcomes of hate crimes recorded by the police, which can be found in the hate crime bulletin referenced above, but it is not broken down by police force area.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants of his Department oversee contracts which have been awarded to external providers.

Kris Hopkins: Ten civil servants in the Department oversee contracts which have been awarded to external providers.

Northern Ireland Office: Senior Civil Servants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of senior civil servants of his Department are (a) men, (b) women, (c) disabled, (d) from working-class backgrounds and (e) from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Kris Hopkins: The proportion of Senior Civil Servants in the Department is as follows: a) Men - 38%;b) Women - 62%;c) Disabled - no declared disabilities;d) From working class backgrounds - this information is not held; ande) From black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds - none declared.

Department of Health

Health Services: EEA Nationals

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has made to the governments of other EEA countries on funds owed to the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: Under European Union Regulations, other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland reimburse the United Kingdom for the cost of the National Health Service providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. In the same way, the UK Government reimburses other EEA countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under EU law, irrespective of nationality. All EEA counties, including the UK, have a legal obligation to pay agreed claims relating to healthcare treatment provided. Once both sides are satisfied that such claims are accurate, they are paid in full. As such, the Secretary of State does not need to make formal representations to other Member States for payments.

Department of Health: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much income has been accrued to his Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Mowat: The Department does not use premium rate telephones lines where any accruals are made by the Department, and have not done so over the past five years.

Eye Drops: Prescriptions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse has been of an individual prescription of Fucithalmic viscous eye drops in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood: Information on the Net Ingredient Cost (NIC), number of prescription items and NIC per prescription item is provided below. NIC is the basic cost of a drug, and does not take account of discounts, dispensing fees or prescription charges income. Fucithalmic is the branded version of the drug fusidic acid. Information is provided for fusidic acid viscous eye drops 1%, and is shown for the brand Fucithalmic and the non-branded fusidic acid. The brand was discontinued in August 2014 according to information in the Dictionary of Medicines and Devices and replaced by a generic version. NIC, number of prescription items and NIC per item for branded, non-branded and total fusidic acid eye drops 1%, written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England for years 2011 to 2015. Fucithalmic Viscous Eye Drops 1%Fusidic Acid Viscous Eye Drops 1%TotalYearNIC (£000s)Items (000s)NIC per item (£)NIC (£000s)Items (000s)NIC per item (£)NIC (£000s)Items (000s)NIC per item (£)20111,186.3556.12.13   1,186.3556.12.1320121,252.1586.12.14   1,252.1586.12.1420131,316.8561.92.34   1,316.8561.92.342014738.2256.62.88886.2148.85.961,624.4405.44.01201557.119.32.956,016.5313.419.206,073.5332.818.25Source: Prescription Cost Analysis provided by NHS Digital. The Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Bill will strengthen the Secretary of State’s existing powers to control the cost of unbranded generic medicines by enabling the Secretary of State to set the price of a medicine when the manufacturer is in the voluntary pricing scheme but the medicine is not covered by that scheme. The Bill will also provide a statutory footing for current voluntary arrangements to obtain information on more products and from more companies, which will inform reimbursement arrangements for community pharmacies. The Competition and Markets Authority has a number of live investigations into potential excessive prices of unbranded generic medicines.

Blood: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the rate of blood donation.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) works to ensure that the right amount of blood is collected to meet patient need in England, including more complex needs for specific blood groups. It runs a number of campaigns throughout the year to raise awareness of blood donation and to encourage people to register as blood donors. NHSBT also engages with donors who have rare blood types including working with local charities, to engage people from these communities in blood and organ donation. To meet the demand for specific blood groups, NHSBT is recruiting increasing numbers of O negative blood donors, A negative platelet donors and more donors from black-African, black-Caribbean, Asian and mixed race heritage. For example, it recently partnered with MOBO on a campaign to encourage people from black and South Asian communities to become blood donors and has launched a toolkit to assist Members of Parliament who are seeking to increase the number of people from these communities who register as blood and organ donors in their constituencies, which is accessible at:www.bit.do/MPToolkit

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people on the organ transplant register died while waiting for a donated kidney in the last financial year.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the average waiting time on the organ transplant register in (a) England and (b) each of the other devolved nations.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organ donor organisation for the United Kingdom and is responsible for promoting organ donation and the matching and allocating of donated organs. Transplant centres for every organ do not exist in each of the devolved nations meaning patients need to travel to other areas of the UK for transplant. For this reason NHSBT does not report on waiting times in each of the devolved nations. Average waiting times are available by transplant centre in NHSBT’s Annual Report. An archive of these reports can be found at:www.odt.nhs.uk/uk-transplant-registry/annual-activity-report/ The number of people who died while on waiting lists for organ donation is also given in the Annual Report.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential effect on the NHS budget of increasing the number of people receiving kidney transplants to reduce the average waiting time on the transplant register and providing long-term dialysis for the same number of people.

Nicola Blackwood: We seek to ensure as many people as possible get transplants in a timely fashion.

Ambulance Services: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 11 January 2017 and 24 January 2017 to Questions 58829 and 59987, if he will require Ambulance Service NHS Trusts to collect and hold centrally data on the usage of private ambulances and their crews provided by (a) St John's Ambulance, (b) Jigsaw Medical Services and (c) other providers.

Mr Philip Dunne: There are no plans to collect such data centrally.

Maternity Services: Health Visitors

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many families of newborn babies did not receive a mandated health visitor antenatal visit in the last year; and how many families did not receive a (a) new baby review, (b) 6 to 8 week assessment, (c) one-year assessment and (e) two to two-and-a-half year review.

Nicola Blackwood: We are not able to report the number of families of newborn babies nationally that did not receive a mandated health visitor antenatal visit in the last year. Although Public Health England (PHE) holds data on the number of mothers who received an antenatal visit at or after 28 weeks this cannot be linked to the quarterly birth data available. As a result the number of families who did not receive an antenatal visit cannot be calculated. Data are as follows:  Number of families nationallyWhich did not receive a baby review in the last year (2015/16)15,609Which did not receive a six to eight week assessment in the last year119,412Which did not receive a one-year assessment in the last year119,107Which did not receive a two to two-and-a-half year review in the last year160,656 The most recent data (above) covers the period 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016 inclusive. The source of this data is the Health Visitor Service Delivery Metrics, which have been collected from local authorities on a voluntary basis and validated by PHE.

Breast Cancer: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for surgery to vacuum cancerous breast tumours to be available on the NHS.

David Mowat: Vacuum assisted biopsy is an established diagnostic tool for breast problems already available in the National Health Service. The technique is also used to remove benign breast lumps. However, further research into the use of vacuum assisted biopsy to treat breast cancer is required before it is used more widely.

Older People: Accidents

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department makes available for elderly people on how to avoid harmful falls.

David Mowat: Falls and falls-related injuries such as fractures are a common and serious health issue faced by older people in England. Public Health England (PHE), in partnership with Saga and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists produced the ‘Get up and go: a guide to staying steady’ booklet, a guide to preventing falls. People are able to download the booklet from:http://www.csp.org.uk/publications/get-go-guide-staying-steady and the falls page of the NHS Choices website. Hard copies are also available upon request. PHE is also collaborating with the Centre for Ageing Better and the Chief Medical Officer to produce practical evidence based guidance on maintaining and improving muscle strength and balance. This is due to be published in autumn 2017.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department has received on the adequacy of provision in A&E departments for patients presenting with heart problems.

Mr Philip Dunne: A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified one item of correspondence received since 1 February 2016 about the adequacy of provision in accident and emergency departments for patients presenting with heart problems. We are not aware of any other representations.

Hepatitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with hepatitis E in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood: Laboratory confirmed cases of hepatitis E infection are reported to Public Health England. The number of reported cases of hepatitis E in England and Wales reported to Public Health England by year (2012 to 2016) can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-e-symptoms-transmission-prevention-treatment/hepatitis-e-symptoms-transmission-treatment-and-prevention

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the NHS is taking to help detect hidden genetic heart defects or conditions.

David Mowat: There are currently two antenatal and newborn screening programmes which aim to detect serious heart conditions; NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme and NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Screening Programme. In addition to this the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has reviewed the evidence for two adult screening programmes; Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). These programmes have not been recommended as there is insufficient evidence that they provide more benefit than harm. The UK NSC will review the evidence for AF and risk of SCD as part of its three year review cycle.

Malaria: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions clinical bodies have had with pharmaceutical companies on the development of new malaria prophylactics.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department would not keep a record of any discussions clinical bodies have had with pharmaceutical companies.

Cancer: Depressive Illnesses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the NHS has made of potential links between anxiety and depression and the onset of cancer; and what recent steps his Department has taken to promote wellbeing.

David Mowat: Both the ‘Five Year Forward view for Mental Health’ and ‘Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020’ recognise the close link between mental health problems and poor outcomes for long term physical health conditions including cancer. People with common mental health problems often have physical long term conditions. When mental and physical health problems are treated in an integrated way people can achieve better outcomes. NHS England is supporting 22 ‘Early Implementer’ projects across the country to lead the way in integrating psychological therapies with physical health care. Early implementer services are integrated into a number of different physical healthcare pathways including cancer. The Government has also committed to full roll out of the Recovery Package for cancer patients by 2020. Undertaking a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) and putting together a Care Plan are key parts of the Recovery Package that should be offered to a patient soon after their diagnosis and at the end of treatment. The HNA guides a conversation about the person’s holistic needs (physical, psychosocial, financial and social) in order to identify any concerns. Mental health concerns and emotional support needs should be picked up in this assessment and support offered. In December 2016, NHS England announced Transformation Funding of over £200 million available to Cancer Alliances over the next two years, specifically to support those areas of the Cancer Taskforce strategy that they estimated would need significant investment, including the Recovery Package.

Parkinson's Disease

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what opportunity stakeholders will have to respond to the NICE's draft updated guideline on the management of Parkinson's disease.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its draft updated guideline on Parkinson’s disease for consultation on 4 October. Stakeholders had until 15 November to respond. Stakeholders’ consultation comments and NICE’s responses will be published on NICE’s website alongside the final guideline. NICE currently expects to publish its final updated guidance in April 2017.

Antidepressants: Side Effects

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the costs to the public purse of the treatment of side effects from long-term use of antidepressants.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department has made no such assessment.

Depressive Illnesses: Medical Treatments

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the accessibility of NICE-recommended treatments for patients at risk of recurrent depression in England.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a number of clinical guidelines for mental health conditions that recommend psychological therapies. NICE’s guidelines on this topic, recommendations on the use of specific drugs, interventional procedures and computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be found at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/mental-health-and-behavioural-conditions/depression Clinical guidelines represent best practice and should be taken fully into account by clinicians. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme provides NICE approved services to people in England with common mental health conditions including depression. Since the start of the IAPT Programme in 2008, more than four million adults have entered the IAPT programme. Of that four million, over 2.7 million have completed treatment and over 950,000 are in recovery.

Medical Records: West Yorkshire

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the new records movement service being piloted in West Yorkshire by Capita.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to extend the new records movement service, currently being piloted in West Yorkshire, to the rest of the country.

Nicola Blackwood: Capita is currently piloting a barcode tracking system for medical records in West Yorkshire. The pilot is intended to ensure that the system is proven before being rolled out across England. All feedback and evidence is being carefully reviewed by NHS England. NHS England’s interim assessment is that this system is working well and has improved the speed of the movement of records. A full review of the system is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017 after which a decision on the roll-out across England will be made.

Cancer: Drugs

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2017 to Question 63820, if he will take steps to increase the maximum length of time for which data can be collected on treatments funded from the Cancer Drugs Fund from two to three years.

Nicola Blackwood: There is no maximum length of time for which data can be collected on treatments funded from the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The duration in the CDF for a cancer drug is determined on an individual basis by the time required for such data development/collection to take place. This will depend on the disease concerned, the data that needs to be examined, the clinical trials that may be already running, and considerations of cancer treatment pathways in England. The time that a drug stays in the CDF is therefore individually assessed and agreed with NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the company concerned. The timeframe will normally be up to two years, but will be considered on a case by case basis.

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Taking organ transplantation to 2020: a detailed strategy, published in 2013, what plans he has to increase consent rates for deceased organ donation to 80 per cent by 2020.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organ donor organisation for the United Kingdom and is responsible for promoting organ donation and the matching and allocating of donated organs. The UK Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 Strategy (2013) aims to achieve world class consent rates of over 80% by 2020. One of the actions to achieve this was the development of national strategies to promote a shift in behaviour to increase consent. The consent rate was 57% in 2013 and is currently 62% year to date. More data can be found at:http://www.odt.nhs.uk/pdf/ODT_SMT_Monthly_Performance_Report_201612.pdf NHSBT has adopted a model to share and scale up successful local activity and to allow broad national messages to be adapted to meet specific local audiences and needs. Examples include NHSBT’s ‘hot house’ pilots which aims to target specific areas which cover a large population, high potential donor numbers and lower than average opt in rates on the Organ Donation Register with a fully-integrated programme of local activity. In addition, NHSBT has invested significantly in more specialist nurses, in better retrieval arrangements and in strengthening referral procedures between intensive care and the transplant programme to help ensure that all potential donors are identified and that families are supported through this very difficult time.

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to hold a public consultation on organ donation and consent law in England.

Nicola Blackwood: A seven year United Kingdom-wide organ donation and transplantation strategy was jointly published by the four UK health ministers and NHS Blood and Transplant in July 2013. The strategy aims to increase consent rates, encourage people to be proud to donate and to make the UK system comparable with the best of the world. In 2015/16, the highest ever deceased donor rate in the UK was recorded with 1,364 deceased donors resulting in 3,529 transplants. On 1 December 2015, Wales introduced deemed consent (opt-out) for organ and tissue donation. We will monitor closely how these changes in legislation in Wales affect donation rates.

Williams Syndrome

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding and support the NHS makes available to Williams syndrome patients and their families.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the NHS has to ensure that doctors are made more aware of the symptoms of Williams syndrome and that appropriate medical care and support is offered to people with that disorder.

David Mowat: Individuals with Williams syndrome will need to be managed by a multidisciplinary team of specialists who can help support their medical, educational and social care needs. The National Health Service allocates funding to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) based on the needs of their population. Spending on specific conditions is down to local clinical priorities set by the CCGs themselves. Higher Educational Institutions are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the regulators upon graduation. The medical Royal Colleges have responsibility for developing postgraduate training curricula for doctors for approval by the General Medical Council (GMC). Health Education England works with regulatory bodies such as the GMC, and the organisations that design curricula such as the medical Royal Colleges, to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients. Continuing Professional Development is the responsibility of individual practitioners and their employers. The Government is working to improve the lives of all those affected by rare diseases through the implementation of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases published in November 2013. The Strategy includes specific recommendations related to raising awareness of rare diseases and genomics across the healthcare professions. The Government is committed to implementing the Strategy by 2020.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the changes to the modelling of the recording of hospital admissions attributed to alcohol in the last 10 years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce such admissions.

Nicola Blackwood: Alcohol-related hospital admissions are used as a way of understanding the impact of alcohol on the health of a population. Public Health England (PHE) uses two main measures for reporting alcohol-related hospital admissions: - narrow measure: where an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition was the primary reason for a hospital admission or an alcohol-related external cause was recorded in a secondary diagnosis field; and- more recently a broader measure has been developed which measures pressures from alcohol on health systems. For this indicator, the alcohol-attributable fractions are applied in order to estimate the number of admissions rather than the number of people. PHE publishes this data and provides tailored data packs for each local authority to support their local decision making to reduce alcohol-related harm and help to reduce alcohol-related hospital admissions. Nationally, there are a range of actions underway to tackle alcohol harm, and which aim to prevent alcohol-related hospital admissions. These include: - a new national programme to incentivise screening and provide appropriate interventions to all in patients in National Health Service hospitals is being rolled out over the next two years;- many Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprint areas have used PHE’s menu of preventative interventions to guide their decisions on local action to reduce alcohol harm and hospital admissions; and- more widely, PHE’s One You campaign includes tools to help those people who want to reduce their consumption of alcohol, and the NHS Health Check continues to promote interventions to reduce harm and offer alcohol treatment for people who need help to recover from dependence.

Tobacco

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons his Department has not yet set a date for publication of the Tobacco Control Plan.

Nicola Blackwood: The United Kingdom is a world leader in tobacco control and we need to maintain our proactive evidence-led approach. It is important that we take the time we need to review the evidence and ensure the plan offers the best possible strategy.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2016 to Question 52787, when the Cardiovascular Disease collaborative group commenced its work; and if he will set out is plan of work.

David Mowat: The Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Collaborative was established in 2013, when NHS England took up its statutory roles. Initially its purpose was to monitor progress following the Department’s publication of the CVD Outcomes Strategy (2013). Subsequently, NHS England's priorities, and those of other arm’s length bodies such as Public Health England, were focused around the Five Year Forward View, and so in 2016 they discussed with stakeholders how the Collaborative could be reconfigured to reflect this shift in focus. The Five Year Forward View has many objectives which are relevant to CVD and the CVD Collaborative is intended to support these.

Bone Cancer

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make GPs aware of the primary bone cancer awareness e-learning module devised by the Bone Cancer Research Trust and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

David Mowat: As the professional membership body for general practitioners in the United Kingdom and abroad working to promote excellence in primary care, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is best placed to promote their various e-learning modules. The module is available on the RCGP’s website at:http://www.rcgp.org.uk/learning/online-learning/ole/primary-bone-cancer.aspx All healthcare professionals, trainees and students can register for a RCGP eLearning account which provides free access to selected RCGP courses and updates. The RCGP has multiple communication channels to promote their work including their website, learning eBulletin, and the RCGP Journal.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that all clinical commissioning groups provide the full cycle of IVF for patients that meet the criteria in NICE's fertility guidelines.

Nicola Blackwood: The provision of National Health Service funded in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment services is a matter for local determination. In making decisions on the level of funding, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are expected to take account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guideline recommending that three full cycles of IVF should be provided for qualifying couples. On 10 February 2017 I wrote to the National Medical Director, Sir Bruce Keogh, to ask that NHS England re-emphasise to all those involved in commissioning fertility services that they should have regard to the NICE fertility guideline as it currently stands.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 30 January 2017 to Questions 61798 and 61799 in which I set out the work currently underway to assist CCGs to commission fertility services more effectively.

Health Services: Private Sector

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the percentage change in the (a) cost and (b) number of patients receiving NHS treatment from private sector providers in each of the last 10 years.

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of patients currently receiving NHS treatment delivered by private sector providers.

Mr Philip Dunne: Holding answer received on 27 February 2017



Data on the number of National Health Service patients receiving treatment from the private sector in England is not available. NHS Commissioner spending on private providers over the last 10 years is set out in the attached table.A figure for the percentage of patients currently receiving NHS treatment delivered by private providers is not available. However, during 2015/16 3.4% of finished admission episodes and 6.1% of outpatient attendances were delivered by a non-NHS provider. This will include a range of non-NHS providers, not just private providers, including the voluntary sector, social enterprises and local authorities.



Spending on private providers 2006-16
(Word Document, 15.15 KB)

Back Pain: Children and Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of back pain among 10 to 18 year olds.

Nicola Blackwood: Upper tier local authorities in England have responsibility for commissioning public health services, including the promotion of healthy living and physical activity which might help reduce incidence of injury contributing to back pain in young people. They are supported by Public Health England which uses campaigns, the national physical activity framework, and partnerships across national and local government, the third sector and business to promote better public health. Clinical commissioning groups have responsibility for commissioning services which may be needed by young people suffering from back pain, particularly physiotherapy. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recently issued updated guidelines for clinicians on low back pain and sciatica in over 16s. These guidelines outline physical, psychological, pharmacological and surgical treatments to help people manage low back pain and aim to improve the quality of life of those suffering from back pain by promoting the most effective forms of care.

Mental Health Services: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mental health support in provided to elderly people who are victims of sexual attacks.

Nicola Blackwood: A general practitioner will provide treatment or support, and can refer patients to services if more specialist help is required. Sexual Assault Referral Centres in particular offer medical, practical and emotional support to victims of sexual assault, and may offer special support for older people.

Prisons: Drugs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what systems are currently in place at (a) HMP Wormwood Scrubs and (b) HMP Pentonville to support inmates that are addicted to drugs.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mental health care provision there is at (a) HMP Wormwood Scrubs and (b) HMP Pentonville to support inmates that are addicted to drugs.

Nicola Blackwood: Prisons are asked to take action to stifle the availability of, and thereby reduce the supply of, illicit drugs into and within their establishment. Prisons should also provide a positive and constructive regime, involving a range of activities, in safe and decent conditions. A safe, decent and secure prison, with purposeful activities, can considerably reduce the demand for drugs. Each prison has a regime management plan that helps ensure this is delivered. NHS England commissions healthcare providers to deliver a range of pharmacological or medicine based treatments to stabilise and manage drug users experiencing the problematic symptoms related to addiction. These services are intended to be delivered in conjunction with psychosocial behavioural interventions to help encourage progressive change and maintain wellbeing. Both HMP Wormwood Scrubs and HMP Pentonville have a fully integrated model for all primary and secondary care health services within a whole health systems approach. The services offer clinical and non-clinical interventions for those presenting with substance misuse and mental health needs.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people referred to improving access to psychological therapies waited less than (a) six and (b) 18 weeks for their first appointment to receive treatment.

Nicola Blackwood: The final monthly access and waiting time data for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) for November 2016 were published by NHS Digital on 21 February. Of those completing a course of IAPT treatment, 88.8% waited less than six weeks to receive treatment, and 98.5% waited less than 18 weeks to receive treatment.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the press release of 9 January 2017, Prime Minister unveils plans to transform mental health support, when his Department plans to make digitally assisted mental health therapy available.

Nicola Blackwood: Digitally-assisted mental health therapies are already available in parts of the National Health Service. Work is currently in progress to have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved digitally-assisted therapies available across the NHS by 2019/20. NHS England is currently working, with the help of NICE, to scope, develop and test these products over 2017/18.

Cancer

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the 62-day cancer waiting time target is met.

David Mowat: The National Health Service is meeting seven out of the eight cancer waiting times standards, despite a 91% increase in the number of urgent referrals for suspected cancer between 2009-10 and 2015-16. The NHS is also meeting the 62-day cancer waiting time standard for breast and skin cancers, which account for more than a third of referrals reported against this standard. Achieving the 62-day standard is a key objective in the Government’s Mandate to NHS England for 2016-17. NHS England and NHS Improvement are providing support and challenge to those trusts that need to improve their performance against the standard. Diagnostic waiting times are a key contributor to the 62-day standard. NHS England is making progress towards introducing a 28 days faster diagnosis standard for cancer patients. The standard is now being piloted at five test sites in preparation for national roll-out.

Pharmacy: Finance

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to community pharmacy budgets on the NHS in winter 2016-17.

David Mowat: Community pharmacy is continuing to play an integral role in the National Health Service this winter. Building on last year’s successful introduction of the National Influenza Adult Vaccination Service delivered through community pharmacies, pharmacists are again providing ‘flu vaccinations to eligible patients in this ‘flu season. Over 810,000 vaccinations have been carried out so far this year – more than for the whole of the 2015-16 season. As part of the reforms to community pharmacy announced on 20 October 2016, the Government is increasing its role in reducing pressure on other parts of the system. For example, this season’s Stay Well This Winter campaign points people to visit their pharmacist at the earliest signs of feeling unwell, and before their condition gets more serious, to prevent them ending up at their general practice or emergency care department. In addition, a new community pharmacy pilot scheme, the NHS urgent medicine supply advanced service, was launched in December 2016 and will run until the end of March 2018. Under this service, those who need urgent repeat medicines are referred by NHS 111 directly to community pharmacies, where appropriate, relieving pressure on urgent and emergency care services by shifting this demand from general practitioner out of hours providers. This is being funded by the new Pharmacy Integration Fund and will be evaluated to inform future commissioning decisions.

Huntington's Disease

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment provision for people diagnosed with Huntington's disease.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England aims to put personalised care planning at the centre of building care specific to each and every person's needs and goals. This includes the adoption of best practice in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and quality standards. Patients with Huntington's disease have access to a range of services including the services of their general practitioner, associated health professionals, neurology services, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, local mental health services for sufferers and their families, palliative care where appropriate and online resources, including factsheets.

Home Care Services: Standards

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government has taken to assist (a) Newcastle Allied Healthcare and (b) other home care providers given an inadequate rating by the Care Quality Commission.

David Mowat: In 2014, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) introduced tougher inspections for providers regulated by the CQC to clamp down on poor services. In April 2015, the Department introduced a special measures regime for all registered adult social care providers including care homes and home care agencies that have been rated as inadequate by the CQC, which offers the opportunity to improve within a time-limited period with access to a suite of resources enabling providers to deliver better, safer care. The CQC published analysis that shows that from 1 October 2014 to 31 March 2016 out of 372 care homes rated inadequate, 73% (273) have improved their overall ratings following the most recent CQC inspection. The Department provides funding to the Social Care Institute for Excellence to offer improvement support, training and consultancy to registered care providers – helping them raise the standards of care and improve outcomes for service users.

Surgery

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps NHS England is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups provide obese patients and smokers with access to appropriate treatment before operations.

David Mowat: Public health is primarily a matter for local authorities, which includes preventative services around obesity and smoking cessation. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for working with local authorities to understand and meet the needs of their local populations, and making decisions on how to best commission services which meet that population’s health needs. NHS England does not have a formal process in place to ensure that CCGs provide obese patients and smokers with access to appropriate treatment before operations. However, CCGs are encouraged to obtain the advice of NHS England regional teams before putting forward proposals which would affect access to services. CCGs also have a legal duty to have due regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. CCGs have a statutory duty to meet the reasonable health requirements of their local population. As part of their duty to seek continuous improvement in the quality of services they commission, CCGs must act with a view to securing continuous improvement in the outcomes of services. NHS England can exercise its formal powers of direction if it is satisfied that a CCG is failing or is at risk of failing to discharge this duty.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will hold discussions with Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group on the reasons for its decision to restrict free-of-charge IVF treatment to women aged under 34.

Nicola Blackwood: The provision of National Health Service funded in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment services is a matter for local determination.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February, to Question 65437, which sets out the action being taken to improve the commissioning of IVF services.

Care Homes: Standards

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure Care Quality Commission standards are applied fairly.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. All providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall. The Department monitors the CQC’s financial and operational performance and risks at a general and strategic level through regular formal accountability meetings. It does not assess the CQC’s inspection or monitoring of specific providers. Regular meetings are also held between both Ministers and the Permanent Secretary and the Chair and Chief Executive of the CQC, as well as meetings at official level. The CQC is responsible for assessing and ensuring the quality of its inspection and monitoring of specific providers on a day to day basis. The CQC published its guidance for providers on meeting the regulations in March 2015. The guide is designed to help providers of health and adult social care follow the fundamental standards and can be found on the CQC website at:http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/provider-handbooks The CQC’s annual accounts and annual report are laid before Parliament and it is publicly accountable through parliamentary scrutiny, including select committees.

NHS: Staff

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what organisation is responsible for NHS workforce planning.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England has a remit to lead workforce planning and education commissioning across the health system to secure the future supply of the workforce, underpinned by a comprehensive local workforce planning process led by providers of National Health Service commissioned services and taking into account national priorities. Local NHS organisations also have a key role to play in terms of on-going Continued Professional Development of their existing workforce.

Mental Health Services: Males

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Minister for Public Health and Innovation's comments for Huffington Post, entitled Time to change - men and mental health, published on 23 February 2017, what the evidential basis is for the calculation on waiting times and standards for talking therapies; and what time period that calculation relates to.

Nicola Blackwood: One of the stated targets of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme is that for new referrals, 75% enter treatment within six weeks, and 95% within 18 weeks. These are based on the waiting times between the referral date and the first attended treatment appointment, for referrals finishing a course of treatment in the month. This calculation of waiting times has been published since April 2015 (based on January 2015 final data), as described in the Methodological Change Notice, published here:http://content.digital.nhs.uk/media/16289/Improving-Access-to-Psychological-Therapies/pdf/MethChange20150216_MonthlyIAPT.pdf Latest data for IAPT for November 2016 show that of those completing a course of IAPT treatment, 88.8% waited less than six weeks to receive treatment.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Green Investment Bank

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding has been supplied to the Green Investment Bank in each year since its inception.

Mr Nick Hurd: Government has provided UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) with the following public funding for its UK investment and operational activities in each year since its inception.YearPublic Funding2012/13£150.450m2013/14£160m2014/15£677m2015/16£60m2016/17 (as of the end of January 2017)£435mTotal£1,482.450m

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2016 to Question 57882, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decrease in the number of energy efficiency measures installed in homes since January 2014 on the Government's commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

Jesse Norman: The energy efficiency measures installed in homes since January 2013 as a result of Government initiatives were delivered via the Energy Company Obligation (ECO – including Affordable Warmth), Cashback, the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) and the Green Deal.The provisional estimated lifetime carbon savings of measures installed through these schemes (excluding Affordable Warmth) to the end of September 2016, was between 28.5 - 30.0 MtCO2 with provisional estimated lifetime energy savings between 115,153-121,534 GWh.The majority of these measures were delivered through the ECO scheme. Government sets the carbon savings thresholds which obligated ECO suppliers must meet over the lifetime of the scheme but it is up to suppliers to determine when, and how, they achieve these savings over the reporting period. This means that the numbers and types of measures installed from year to year can vary without reducing the overall carbon saved.

Standardisation: EU Law

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has for membership of the European Committee for Standardisation and the enforcement of that Committee's standards after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is not an EU body, although it has a special status in the EU. We are working with BSI, the UK’s national standards body and the UK member of CEN, to ensure that our future relationship with CEN and the other European Standards Organisations continues to support a productive, open and competitive business environment in the UK. Standards are voluntary and distinct from regulations, and users of standards are responsible for their correct application.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Senior Civil Servants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of senior civil servants of his Department are (a) men, (b) women, (c) disabled, (d) from working-class backgrounds and (e) from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Margot James: Please see table below for the response from The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for the proportion of SCS based on the above questions: A) Men56%B) Women44%C) Disabled5%D) Working-class backgroundNot heldE) Black or minority background5%Date of report: 31/12/16 (run quarterly)

Business Angel Co-investment Fund: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the recipients of funding from the Business Angel Co-Investment Fund were (a) female entrepreneurs or (b) syndicates which included at least one female entrepreneur in each fiscal year since the Business Angels scheme was established.

Margot James: The Angel CoFund invests, on a commercial basis, in to companies that meet its investment criteria and are approved by its Investment Committee. As at the end December 2016, the Angel CoFund had invested and committed over £32 million, alongside a further £142 million from business angels and other investors, providing support for 68 businesses. While the specific data requested is not available, information on the portfolio is available here: http://www.angelcofund.co.uk/news/2016-03-01/angel-cofund-four-years-on

Business: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of callers to the Business Support Helpline were women in the latest fiscal year for which figures are available.

Margot James: During the current fiscal year (2016/17) to date the Business Support Helpline has gathered gender details from 28,103 customers. The gender breakdown is as follow:Female 13,788 (49%)Male 14,315 (51%)

New Businesses: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of start up loans were given to women in each fiscal year since the Start Up Loans company was established.

Margot James: The table below shows how many and proportion of start up loans given to women. Fiscal YearStart up LoansPercentageFY 2012/1367337%FY2013/14468437%FY2014/15518138%FY2015/16372441%FY2016/17(YTD 31st January 2017)314640%

Business: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the recipients of (a) the Queen's Award for Enterprise and (b) awards from Enterprising Britain were women in the latest year for which those respective awards were given.

Margot James: The 2016 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise saw 254 awards presented. 249 Awards were presented to companies in the categories of International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development. 5 Awards were presented to individuals for Enterprise Promotion, 3 of which were presented to women, equating to 60% of the 2016 Enterprise Promotion category Awards.The Enterprise Britain Awards are open to public sector organisations rather than individuals so gender statistics are not available.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether regular units from the Army and Royal Marines are subject to parliamentary scrutiny and the War Powers Convention when those units are attached to the Special Forces Support Group.

Sir Michael Fallon: When under the operational command of the Director of Special Forces, units of the Armed Forces attached to the Special Forces Support Group are subject to the same disclosure policy as other elements of the Special Forces.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Mr Marcus Jones: Pay bill figures for men and women can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at the department's gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October 2016) can be found on the ONS website at the following links:Civil Service Statistics 2016 (inclusive Tables 29-33)https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatisticsMedian Pay (Annex B)https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/medianpayannexb

Help to Buy Scheme: South Thanet

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people received assistance from the Government's Help to Buy scheme in South Thanet in each of the last three years.

Gavin Barwell: In the parliamentary constituency of South Thanet, the number of households who have purchased homes through Help to Buy schemes are:Help to Buy: Equity Loan: 22 (from scheme launch in April 2013 to September 2016);Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee: 164 (from scheme launch in October 2013 to September 2016);Help to Buy: ISA: 41 (from scheme launch in December 2015 to September 2016);Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee and Help to Buy: ISA are the responsibility of HM Treasury;The Government does not publish an annual breakdown of scheme completions by parliamentary constituency. The Government publishes cumulative totals on a quarterly basis by parliamentary constituency: Help to Buy: Equity Loan http://opendatacommunities.org/def/concept/folders/themes/housing-marketHelp to Buy: mortgage guarantee https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statisticsHelp to Buy: ISA https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/official-statistics-on-the-help-to-buy-isa-scheme The Government publishes cumulative totals on a quarterly basis by local authority for: Help to Buy: Equity Loan https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/help-to-buy-equity-loan-and-newbuy-statisticsHelp to Buy: mortgage guarantee https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statisticsHelp to Buy: ISA https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-isa-scheme-quarterly-statistics-december-2015-to-30-september-2016

Social Rented Housing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the (a) total number of social housing units to be built and (b) change in the number of social housing units that will be available for rent during this Parliament.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 23 February 2017



At Autumn Statement, we announced an expansion of the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016-21, with an additional £1.4 billion investment, increasing the overall budget to £7.1 billion that will deliver 225,000 affordable housing starts by March 2021.The expanded programme now allows a wider range of products and so the actual tenure split will depend on bids received. This programme flexibility enables providers to have the agility to respond to local needs and markets – building the right homes in the right places.Figures showing the total stock of properties for rent from local authorities or private registered providers are available in live table 104https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

Neighbourhood Development Plans: Appeals

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of planning applications which are contrary to an adopted neighbourhood plan and that have gone to an inspector's decision are decided in favour of that plan.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 23 February 2017



We do not hold the information requested.An adopted neighbourhood plan is part of the Development Plan for an area. Statute requires that planning applications are determined in accordance with the Development Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Such material considerations can be wide-ranging though must be related to planning. Where a proposal is judged to be contrary to the Development Plan, the decision maker (Inspector) must then apply judgment to the weight that those considerations should attract in deciding whether to approve permission. S/he may grant permission if s/he judges the considerations to outweigh the conflict with the Development Plan policy.

Home Ownership Incentive Schemes

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertising and other promotional material for the Own Your Home initiatives in each year since 2010-11 by (a) region, (b) local authority area and (c) constituency.

Gavin Barwell: My Department launched the Own Your Home campaign in October 2015 – aimed at persuading young working people to look again at home ownership and driving take up of appropriate government home-buying schemes when this is the right decision for them. This overarching campaign also draws together communications activity on a range of government schemes. Prior to this, campaigns on Right to Buy and Help to Buy had been run separately since 2012.Own Your Home specific activity is delivered at a national level and cannot be disaggregated down to regional or local authority level. Spend on this campaign was £2.08 million in 2015/16 and £3.517 million in 2016/17

Rented Housing

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the criteria are for the Government's decisions on how much funding for help to rent projects to allocate to local authorities; and whether the Government plans to increase such funding.

Gavin Barwell: The Government gave nearly £14 million from 2010 to 2016 to develop a programme to help single homeless people access private rented sector accommodation, as part of its work to prevent and tackle homelessness. Our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme is now funding 84 projects in 225 local authorities, following an open competition last autumn, details of which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584760/Homelessness_Prevention_Programme_-_Successful_bids.pdfSome of these projects will help single homeless people access and sustain housing in the private rental sector. For example, Bristol City Council are setting up a team to do early intervention work with households in the private rented sector who are at risk of homelessness to prevent a crisis.We are also going further and supporting the honourable member for Harrow East’s Homelessness Reduction Bill, which will significantly reform the support people receive to prevent homelessness. The Government has committed to provide £61 million to local authorities to meet the costs of the Bill.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much income has been accrued to his Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since 2009 DCLG has utilised 0303 numbers for inbound calls. At no point since 2009 has DCLG utilised premium rate numbers.Additionally each department is asked to provide a yearly report on any premium numbers in use (amongst other numbers). This is published here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/customer-service-lines-reports.

Social Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much (a) the Government and (b) local authorities in England spent on adult social care in each year since 2010 by region.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 24 February 2017



Local authorities spend on adult social care is financed through locally raised and retained income such as Council Tax and Business Rates and from centrally distributed revenue streams, such as the Better Care Fund, Revenue Support Grant and specific grants to local authorities and other organisations.It is not possible to estimate all the elements of spend that go towards providing care from of each of these central government funding streams.Information on adult social care spending by each and all local authorities in England is published on the Department’s website:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financingDCLG has not produced statistics at regional level since 2012, as per Ministerial Statement:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/local-statistics

Housing Revenue Accounts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the amount that councils are required to pay back in right to buy receipts; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Barwell: Ministers and officials from my department hold regular discussions with HM Treasury. The 2012 reinvigorated Right to Buy scheme increased maximum discounts to realistic levels and, for the first time ever, introduced a requirement that for every additional sale, a new affordable home will be provided nationally. Local authorities are able to keep the receipts from additional Right to Buy sales to fund replacement affordable housing.Since the reform of the Housing Revenue Account and the introduction of Self-Financing in April 2012, a proportion of receipts are paid to Treasury, as part of addressing the deficit in the nation’s finances.The below figures show the total Right to Buy receipts paid to the Secretary of State since 2012/13.Financial YearReceipts Paid to Secretary of Sate  2012-13£127,754,3552013-14£170,644,4282014-15£179,746,3672015-16£222,321,0012016-17*£103,602,532  Total£804,068,683*quarters 1&2 only

Small Businesses: Cash Dispensing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the level of provision for small businesses of ATM access.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on high streets and local communities of reduced access to ATMs.

Andrew Percy: The Department for Communities and Local Government has made no assessment of the potential effect on high streets and local communities of reduced access to ATMs. ATM provision is a matter for HM Treasury.

Local Government: Christchurch

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter from the Mayor of Christchurch, dated 6 February 2017, on local government reorganisation.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 24 February 2017



I have received the letter from the Mayor of Christchurch and will respond imminently.

Families: Disadvantaged

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on the outcomes of Phase two of the Troubled Families programme since its introduction in 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: The current Troubled Families Programme rolled out across all top tier local authorities in England in April 2015 and has funding committed to 2020.This programme is subject to a comprehensive national evaluation, which will report at intervals throughout its lifetime. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has a statutory duty to report annually to Parliament on the progress of the programme. The first report is due to be published by the end of March 2017 and will include details of the programme’s progress so far.

Housing: Standards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that all newly built homes comply with building regulations.

Gavin Barwell: Responsibility for compliance with the building regulations rests with those building new homes. All new homes are subject to supervision by a building control body, which can be a local authority or approved inspector. Building control bodies must take all reasonable steps to ascertain if the building work complies with the relevant requirements of the building regulations and not give a compliance certificate until satisfied that the requirements have been met.

Social Services: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on the funding of adult social care of the reclassification of new homes bonus as an adult social care grant.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 24 February 2017



Local authorities choose how much to spend on social care in their area, drawing on income from local taxes and national grants. The Local Government Finance Settlement confirmed that will provide an additional £240 million to fund adult social care through the Adult Social Care Support Grant in 2017-18, funded by reforms to the New Homes Bonus. This funding will be used to support immediate pressures being experienced by authorities delivering adult social care and will be distributed as a one-off grant allocated according to the adult social care Relative Needs Formula. This is in addition to measures to direct funding to social care announced at the 2015 Spending Review, including the improved Better Care Fund grant, which were partly funded from reforms to the New Homes Bonus.

Agency Social Workers

Margaret Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which regions have used regional memoranda of understanding in order to manage the cost of agency social workers.

Mr Marcus Jones: This information is not held by the department.

Local Government: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will meet the Leader of Christchurch Borough Council to discuss that Council's proposals for local government reorganisation in Dorset.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 27 February 2017



I met the senior representatives of the 9 Dorset councils, including the then deputy leader of Christchurch Borough Council, on 30 November 2016, when the 9 councils discussed with me the proposal which they were intending to submit and which in the event, 6 of the councils have now submitted. I intend now to consider carefully that proposal before announcing how I am minded to proceed, after which there will be an opportunity for the councils and others interested to make representations.

Antisemitism: Prosecutions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were charged with offences related to Anti-Semitism between 24 June and 24 December in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 28 February 2017



There are five monitored strands of hate crime covering hostility on the basis of disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity, race and religion. There is no disaggregation beyond this, although police systems are currently being developed to cover the disaggregation of religion.Under the Code for Prosecutors, Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors must have regard to whether the offence was motivated by any form of discrimination. This is over and above the requirements of the specific legal framework for hate crime. Prosecutors are supported to identify appropriate evidence in any such case by legal guidance and material developed with the input of the Community Security Trust.

Non-domestic Rates: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the revaluation of business rates on businesses in (a) Coventry and (b) West Midlands.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 01 March 2017



The effect of the revaluation of business rates on businesses in Coventry and the West Midlands will depend on the specific circumstances and location of the relevant property. A £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme will provide support to properties which face an increase in rates. My Department is working closely with the Treasury to determine how best to provide further support to businesses facing the steepest increases. We expect to be in a position to make an announcement on this at the Budget.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the relative priority of reductions in expenditure and increases in income when assessing submissions for local government reorganisation.

Mr Marcus Jones: I refer the Hon Member to my answer yesterday to Question UIN 65271.

Non-domestic Rates: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason he has not designated a business rates pool for any local authorities in Dorset for 2017-18; and what steps Dorset local authorities need to take to have a business rates pool for 2018-19.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since 2013/14 and the introduction of the Business Rates Retention Scheme, authorities in the Dorset County area have not sought designation as a pool.Under the current arrangement for business rates retention, authorities who wish to form a business rates pool must seek designation before publication of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement and must satisfy the Government that they have practical arrangements in place for managing the pool and sharing risk and reward.

Council Tax: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the financial case included in the submission of 9 February 2017 by some Dorset local authorities for local government reorganisation, if he will estimate what notional amount of council tax it is assumed would be specified for 2019-20 for council tax payers in (a) Bournemouth, (b) Christchurch and (c) Poole.

Mr Marcus Jones: No estimates have been made. The level of council tax is a matter for the local councils concerned. The government will continue to maintain council tax referendum thresholds at a modest level in order to help keep bills down for hardworking people.

Non-domestic Rates: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his oral contribution of 22 February 2017, Official Report, column 1070, what the closing date is by which two-tier authorities in Dorset should apply to become one of the pilots for 100 per cent business rate retention in 2018-19; and what criteria will be applied in determining which applications are successful for those pilots.

Mr Marcus Jones: We will be shortly be publishing details of the arrangements and timetable for the 2018/19 100 per cent business rates pilots and the criteria to be used in determining applications.

Public Lavatories

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities for the provision of accessible public toilet facilities.

Gavin Barwell: Section 87 of the Public Health Act 1936 gives local authorities the discretionary power to provide public toilets. How this power is exercised is a decision for local authorities; who know what is best for their area.The provision of public toilets is one of the basic services that help create good quality public places and they are an important amenity for many people. That is why we are introducing powers through the Local Government Finance Bill to allow local authorities to grant discretionary business rate relief on public toilets that they own and maintain.My Department has also worked with the Changing Places Campaign to promote the provision of changing places toilets across the UK, for severely disabled people and those with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Scotland Office

Brexit: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he raised (a) the Scottish Government's report entitled Scotland's Place in Europe, published on 20 December 2016 and (b) Scotland's place in the European single market with (i) Vicky Ford MEP, (ii) the Centre for European Policy Studies, (iii) Open Europe, (iv) Bruegel, (v) permanent representatives to the EU and (vi) the CBI's Brussels representative during his visit to Brussels on 9 February 2017.

David Mundell: As the United Kingdom leaves the EU, the Government is committed to delivering the best possible deal for every part of the United Kingdom; a deal which works best for Scottish businesses, Scottish farmers and Scottish fishermen. On 9 February 2017, I travelled to Brussels and met a range of key stakeholders to discuss a variety of topics. We have committed to looking closely at the Scottish Government’s paper, Scotland’s Place in Europe, and we are doing just that.

Emergency Services: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he will make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to bring forward legislative proposals to make Scottish emergency services eligible for VAT refunds.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the level of VAT payable by Scottish emergency services.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 17 October 2016 (UIN 47109), and to the response of the previous Financial Secretary to a proposed amendment to the Finance Bill on this subject on 7 July 2016 (Public Bill Committee, Official Report, Column 225).

Brexit: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the priorities for the (a) steel and (b) fishing industry within the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues and we are carefully considering sectoral priorities ahead of negotiations to leave the EU.

Unemployment: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent and proposed closures in the Department for Work and Pensions estate in Scotland on the level of unemployment in Scotland.

David Mundell: DWP are working to recruit more work coaches to support people into work in Scotland and we do not expect there to be a change in service as a result of the proposed closures. The UK Government is committed to retaining a Jobcentre network and continuing to serve people in all areas of the country to make sure they can continue to access the services they need, responding to economic trends and the changing ways in which claimants access services.

*No heading*

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on income tax rates.

Jane Ellison: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury attended a Joint Exchequer Committee with the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Finance in November, where they discussed the ongoing work between both governments to implement Scotland’s tax powers.

*No heading*

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the level of government funding for the energy sector in Scotland.

David Mundell: I have had a number of discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regarding the energy sector in Scotland, a thriving sector which benefits from having unrestricted access to the integrated Great Britain Energy market.

*No heading*

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect of City Deals on cities in Scotland.

Jane Ellison: I am pleased that the UK Government has committed to, or is in discussions with, each of Scotland’s cities to deliver a City Region Deal. All deals are in line with Treasury Green Book Guidance, and each is subject to rigorous governance arrangements that have been agreed by both UK and Scottish Governments.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many civil servants of his Department oversee contracts which have been awarded to external providers.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) has a dedicated Commercial function, which is currently comprised of 24 staff. Additionally, for each contract awarded to external providers, the Department identifies a member of DIT staff to act as a contract manager, as part of their wider responsibilities.

Department for Transport

Cars: Fuels

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cars powered by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) alternative fuel are currently registered for use on public roads; and how many such cars were registered in each of these categories in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The table below shows the number of licensed cars by propulsion type in Great Britain in the last five years.Cars licensed by propulsion type, at year end in Great Britain, from 2011 to 2015 Great Britain: Total Numbers of cars (Thousands) 20112012201320142015(a) Petrol19,548.519,158.818,870.318,632.618,511.7(b) Diesel8,763.59,385.110,064.210,730.911,428.9*Hybrid Electric102.3125.3153.6188.1245.1*Gas150.048.746.343.239.7*Electric2.64.16.316.224.6*Other20.40.40.40.40.4Total28,467.328,722.529,140.929,611.530,250.3*(c) Alternative Fuels1 Includes gas, gas bi-fuel, petrol/gas and gas/diesel2 Includes new fuel technologies, fuel cells

Department for Transport: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much income has been accrued to his Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr John Hayes: The vast majority of calls to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are either free or charged at local rate. However, the DVLA does operate three premium rate phone lines. One phone line allows car hire companies to check the entitlement to drive of those wishing to hire vehicles where needed. The revenue which DVLA receives covers the cost of providing this service to commercial companies. The other two numbers allow customers to use translation services when contacting DVLA. This follows a decision made by the previous Government that callers who request a translation service will now pay for this via the cost of the call so that the customer bears the cost of the translation and not the Government or other DVLA customers. The income accrued to DVLA for the last 5 years is Financial year£’0002011-127402012-138252013-149552014-151,0262015-16971 The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the only body within the Department for Transport that operates premium rate numbers.

Cycling and Walking

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral contribution of 23 February 2017 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, on funding for the Government's forthcoming Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, how much of the £1 billion funding will be provided to (a) each region, (b) the Cycling and Walking Strategy, (c) the Cycling City Ambition Grant scheme, (d) Bikeability cycle training and (e) Highways England.

Andrew Jones: Estimated Government investment in walking and cycling until 2019-20 is over £1billion. This includes funding for Cycling Ambition Cities, Bikeability cycle training, Highways England, schemes already committed in the Local Growth Fund and a portion of the Integrated Transport Block based on previous trends. It does not include the funding to be allocated through the latest round of the Local Growth Fund. The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, due to be published soon, sets out the Government’s investment of £1.1bn in cycling and walking from 2016/17 to 2020/21. Decisions on the allocation of government funding will be made by the relevant local bodies, in line with the Government's devolution and localism agenda.

Volkswagen

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Transport of 23 February 2017, Official Report, column 1147, if he will provide an update to the House within the next month on (a) whether the Government plans to bring forward criminal charges and (b) what support he is providing for the private prosecution being brought by consumers to force Volkswagen to do the right thing.

Mr John Hayes: The government wants Volkswagen to face the appropriate legal consequences for their actions. The Secretary of State plans to travel to Berlin to meet with our German counterparts to discuss this important issue. We expect that the vast majority of the wrongdoing took place in Germany and so it is appropriate that the German authorities lead the investigation. However we have not ruled out launching our own criminal investigation. I have met with representatives of legal firms preparing civil action against Volkswagen and am considering their requests for assistance. I will be updating the House, as appropriate, in due course.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many HS2 Ltd staff (a) have previously worked for and (b) are on secondment from CH2M; how many of those staff have returned to work for CH2M after working at HS2 Ltd; and how many CH2M staff are located in HS2 Ltd offices.

Andrew Jones: Twenty-five HS2 staff have previously worked for CH2M. Thirty-seven CH2M staff are on secondment to HS2 Ltd. HS2 Ltd does not hold information on the numbers of people who returned to CH2M after working for HS2 Ltd. There are 84 CH2M people located in HS2 Ltd offices. By way of context, HS2 Ltd’s total headcount is around 1,500.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Libya: Politics and Government

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political stability of Libya; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Despite the signing of the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) in December 2015, the political and security situation in Libya remains fragile. A number of players continue to obstruct full implementation of the LPA, and the Government of National Accord has still not been approved by the House of Representatives. The UK remains committed to the LPA and is supportive of current efforts to amend it in order to secure support from those Libyans who have hitherto opposed it. An inclusive government which brings together Libyans from across the country is the best way to restore unity, rebuild the economy and tackle the threats posed by Daesh and illegal migration.

British Overseas Territories: Marriage

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from (a) parliamentarians and (b) the public on the legalisation of gay marriage in the overseas territories.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have not received any representations on legislation of gay marriage in the overseas territories since the Hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) asked questions 52680 and 52682 in November 2016.

Tanzania: Homosexuality

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Tanzanian counterpart on that Government's proposals to publish lists of homosexuals.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are concerned by the increased anti-homosexual rhetoric and steadily deteriorating LGBT environment in Tanzania. Our High Commission in Dar es Salaam has been monitoring the situation closely and will meet with the Minister of Health in the near future to raise our concerns.

West Bank: Israeli Settlements

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his Israeli counterparts the effect of the Land Regularisation Bill recently passed by the Israeli Knesset on the number of Israeli settlements on the West Bank.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​I issued a statement on 7 February condemning the land regularisation law. We are gravely concerned by the law, which will retroactively legalise 53 outposts and pave the way for significant growth in settlements deep in the West Bank, threatening the viability of the two-state solution. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) both expressed concerns about settlement activity when they met Prime Minister Netanyahu in London on Monday 6 February.

Tanzania: LGBT People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of LGBT rights in Tanzania.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are concerned by the increased anti-homosexual rhetoric and steadily deteriorating LGBT environment in Tanzania. Our High Commission in Dar es Salaam has been monitoring the situation closely; officials are also part of an LGBT taskforce, which regularly meets with advocacy groups, including Stonewall and Human Rights Watch, to support LGBT rights in Tanzania.

Libya: Terrorism

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to open negotiations with the Libyan Government on that country's frozen assets and provision for UK victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The Government has no plans to amend the UN Security Council Resolution governing the freezing of Libyan assets in the UK. There is no legal basis upon which the UK could seize frozen assets or withhold Libyan assets once the relevant Libyan entities are delisted and the assets unfrozen. Once these assets are released they belong to the people of Libya and by law have to be returned for their benefit.We have however made clear to the Libyan authorities that resolution of legacy issues remains a priority for us. I raised the issue of compensation in my meetings with Prime Minister Serraj and Deputy Prime Minister Maiteq during the London Ministerial on 31 October 2016. We will continue to encourage the Libyan authorities to engage with UK victims, and their legal representatives, seeking redress, including those seeking compensation.The Government position remains that it is not able to negotiate with the Libyan government on individual compensation claims, as these are not government-to-government claims. These are private matters best pursued directly with the Libyan authorities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides facilitation support to victims, their representatives and campaign groups, where it has been requested and is appropriate.

Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council is due to take place; and what is on the agenda for that meeting.

Sir Alan Duncan: The next Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council is due to be held in November 2017. The agenda has not yet been agreed.

Cyprus: Fossil Fuels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Cyprus on assistance with the exploitation of gas and oil off the Cyprus coastline.

Sir Alan Duncan: We recognise the Republic of Cyprus's sovereign rights to exploit its natural resources. It remains our position that such resources should be exploited for the benefit of all the communities in Cyprus. Ultimately, the best way of enabling that is through a comprehensive settlement to end the division of the island.We have discussed with the Government of Cyprus a number of issues related to the development of its hydrocarbon reserves, ranging from support for UK companies bidding for exploration licences or offering other specialist services, to the sharing of expertise in environmental safety, energy security and other areas.

Nigeria: Boko Haram

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is giving to the Government of Nigeria to help tackle the activities of Boko Haram; and whether that assistance includes the provision of aircraft or helicopter support.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government is committed to supporting Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram. We are providing a substantial package of military, intelligence and development support including training and advice for the Nigerian armed forces. To date over 22,500 Nigerian military personnel have received UK training, a significant number of whom have been deployed on counter-insurgency operations in North-East Nigeria. With France and the US, we are supporting a Nigerian intelligence analysis and planning cell focused on the North East and based in Abuja. In addition we have provided £5 million to support the Multinational Joint Task Force, a regional taskforce against Boko Haram.In 2014, UK surveillance aircraft were deployed to Nigeria to assist the authorities for a limited period. We have not provided any aircraft or helicopter support to the Nigerian military since then.Tackling Boko Haram requires a comprehensive approach that also addresses the political, economic and development problems in north east Nigeria. The Department for International Development's (DFID) portfolio for the North East includes programming in health, education, governance, social development and economic growth. In addition, through DFID, the UK is the second largest donor to the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria and Lake Chad. In September 2016 we pledged a further £80m of aid. This is on top of almost £90m of UK humanitarian aid already that is already being delivered in the region.

China: Organs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of China on organ harvesting in that country; and what the outcome of those representations has been.

Alok Sharma: ​I opened the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in London on 27 October 2016, where the UK raised concerns about allegations of organ harvesting.The World Health Organisation (WHO) collates global data on organ donations and works with China on this issue. Officials from our Embassy in Beijing met representatives of the WHO earlier this year. Their view was that China was implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, although they did have concerns about overall transparency.

British Overseas Territories: Visits Abroad

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to visit any of the overseas territories in the next 12 months.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign Secretary met all the Leaders of the Overseas Territories in November 2016. All travel is continually reviewed and future visits will be announced in the usual way.

Palestinians: Capital Punishment

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Palestinian Authority on death sentences imposed on Palestinians for the alleged collaboration with the Israeli Authorities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​We have not raised this issue with the Palestinian Authority (PA), as the PA, at this present time, has no control over the Gaza Strip. The increasing use of the death penalty in Gaza is a worrying trend. The UK maintains a no contact policy with the de facto authority in Gaza, Hamas.The local EU Heads of Mission issued a statement on 21 February condemning the use of the death penalty in this case and calling on the de facto authorities in Gaza to refrain from carrying out any executions in line with the PA’s moratorium on executions.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure free and fair elections in Zimbabwe; and what discussions his Department has had with the UN on international action in that area.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British Government's 2015 manifesto included a commitment to stand up for the rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. Ahead of the 2018 elections, it is essential that reforms are made to the Zimbabwean electoral system, including strengthening the independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and removal of unconstitutional legislation which restricts democratic activity and human rights. With the Department for International Development, the FCO is working through a multi-donor programme to improve access to justice, media and information freedom and to improve the electoral environment in advance of the 2018 elections. Officials remain in close contact with international partners, including the UN, to co-ordinate support in the run up to the 2018 elections.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2017 to Question 58527, what assessment he has made of the validity of the findings of the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incident Assessment Team's Investigations of eight airstrikes, published on 4 August 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK welcomes the release, on 4 August 2016, by Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) of the outcome of eight investigations into incidents of alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen. It is important that credible allegations of violations of international humanitarian law are investigated and the Saudi-led Coalition has committed to doing this. We regularly press, including at senior levels, the need for the Saudi-led Coalition to conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into reports of alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

Georgia: NATO

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) other NATO member states on a potential NATO Membership Action Plan for Georgia.

Boris Johnson: Government ministers and officials have regular discussions with NATO Allies on the process of Georgian integration with NATO, including at last week’s NATO Defence Ministerial and NATO-Georgia Commission meeting. The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) agreed at the NATO Summit in Wales (2014) supports Georgia’s work to strengthen its institutions and interoperability with NATO. At the NATO Summit in Warsaw in July 2016, Allies reaffirmed their commitment that Georgia would become a member of NATO and expanded and deepened areas of cooperation under the SNGP.

Georgia: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the draft statement on non-use force produced by the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions; and what assessment he has made of the prospects for an agreement on that draft among all parties to the discussions.

Boris Johnson: We welcome Georgia’s commitment to the non-use of force. We continue to believe that a clear commitment to the non-use of force by all parties to the conflicts, including Russia, is essential to enhance regional security and consolidate stability in Georgia. This is particularly important in light of the continued Russian military presence and infrastructure reinforcements in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which violate Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Georgia: Security

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia.

Boris Johnson: ​We continue to monitor the security situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, noting with concern recent developments such as increased deployments of Russian military and heavy weaponry, increasingly limited access for international organisations and Non-governmental Organisation further restrictions for civilians seeking to cross the Administrative Boundary Lines for work or education, denial of access to education in children's first language in the Gali region of Abkhazia, and de facto 'borders' reinforced with razor wire. We actively support efforts in multilateral fora to highlight these concerns and encourage all parties to the conflicts to work towards resolution.

Georgia: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects the next round of the Geneva International Discussions to be held; and what the Government's priorities will be for those discussions.

Boris Johnson: ​The 39th round of the Geneva International Discussions is scheduled for 28-29 March 2017. The British Government, in line with all other EU member states, has a clear policy of non-recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia's claims to independence, and recognises Georgia's territorial integrity and its sovereignty over these two regions. We encourage all parties to the Geneva International Discussions to work towards resolution of the conflicts and an improved humanitarian situation for the conflict-affected populations.

Georgia: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who represented the Government at the 38th round of the Geneva International Discussions in December 2016; and what assessment the Government has made of the outcome of those discussions.

Boris Johnson: ​The British Government is not directly represented at the Geneva International Discussions (GID). The UK is a member of all three international organisations acting as co-chairs. We continue to support the GID dialogue process as a platform for all parties to the conflict to discuss both security issues and the humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected populations.

State Visits: Germany

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make arrangements for an early state or official visit to the UK by the recently elected President of Germany.

Sir Alan Duncan: Germany is one of our most important partners in the world; in trade, foreign policy and in Europe. We are working to strengthen the bilateral relationship further following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, including through high level visits, however there are no plans for President-elect Steinmeier to visit the UK in the immediate future.

Libya: Females

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of protection for women's rights in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The British Government notes with concern that the Libyan authorities currently have limited capacity to investigate human rights violations and bring perpetrators to justice, including the rights of women.Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the UK is funding programmes in Libya to support peace mediation and local level stability, women's rights, civil society and freedom of speech. The UK is also providing humanitarian support to people affected by the conflict, including supplies and technical support to medical centres, assistance to those who have been forced to flee their homes, and support to migrants held in detention. A £1.5m project has been agreed with consortium lead Danish Refugee Council under the Women and Girls Protection Fund, which aims to protect 40,000 vulnerable women migrants from trafficking, forced labour and sexual violence through improved shelters, psychosocial support and awareness raising among migrants and host communities of the heightened risks and fundamental rights of migrating women.

Department for International Development

Charities

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which UK-based charities have received funding from her Department in the last three financial years; how much has been received by each charity; which of those charities recognise trades unions; and what requirement her Department has that charities that receive funding recognise trades unions.

Rory Stewart: In the last three financial years, more than 125 UK-based charities have received funding through central civil society funding mechanisms. Information on this funding is available through Development Tracker (https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/). We do not have hold information on which of these recognise trade unions. DFID does not have any requirement that charities that receive funding recognise trade unions.

Department for International Development: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants of her Department oversee contracts which have been awarded to external providers.

Rory Stewart: DFID has around 450 live contracts above £106,047 (the Official Journal of the European Union threshold) with external providers. Every contract is part of a programme with an approved Business Case. Each Business Case has a named Senior Responsible Owner who leads a team of commercial, financial, technical and programme management experts to oversee the delivery of the programme, including where applicable through contracts with external providers. DFID staff are usually directly involved in overseeing each contract. Their job is to ensure it delivers the intended results for the world’s poorest and value for money for the UK taxpayer.

Developing Countries: Education

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department provides as part of its education programmes for teaching on freedom of religion or belief, including in the Middle East; and how her Department coordinates that funding with funding through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the same purposes.

James Wharton: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office leads on the Government’s foreign human rights policy, including freedom of religion or belief. The Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy funds a number of programmes that focus on the teaching of freedom of religion or belief, including in the Middle East. DFID does not track spending in this area but does aim to ensure its education programmes “do no harm”; that is, that they do not inadvertently promote intolerance, exacerbate grievances or contribute to feelings of frustration due to unmet expectations.

South Sudan: Famine

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the practicability of delivering emergency aid into areas affected by the UN-declared famine in South Sudan.

James Wharton: The famine in South Sudan is man-made. Despite recent assurances from the President that access would be granted to all areas of the country, aid supplies were again prevented from reaching certain areas this weekend. We will be working closely with our partners to monitor the situation and will continue to call on all sides to lay down their arms and allow unrestricted access for the UN Mission in South Sudan and humanitarian organisations to ensure aid can get to where it is needed.

Department for Education

Schools: Standards

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of reception baseline assessment in academic year 2016-17.

Nick Gibb: In the 2016/17 academic year, the expenditure to date on the optional reception baseline has been £745,000 and we anticipate claims amounting to a further £125,000 by the end of the year. The Department has provided funding to cover the basic cost of approved baselines for maintained schools, academies, and free schools in the academic years 2015/16 and 2016/17. Further details on whether the optional baseline will be available for schools to use in the 2017/18 academic year will be provided in due course.

Free Schools: Admissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the article in The Times of 14 February 2017 in the name of the Minister of State for School Standards, what evidence her Department has for the positive response of the Archbishop of Canterbury to proposals to lift the 50 per cent cap on religious selection by free schools.

Caroline Dinenage: The Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury have responded positively to our proposal to expand the number of high-quality faith schools. The Church of England has worked with us to deliver new places through the free schools programme and they have opened 14 free schools to date.As the Archbishop made clear in his article in the Times Education Supplement of 23 September 2016, the Church of England are drawing up ambitious plans to open many more free schools. We look forward to receiving those applications.

Government Equalities Office: Government Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total (a) number and (b) value of Government contracts that have been contracted out by the Government Equalities Office was in each year since 2010; what the value of pro bono costs was in each such year; and what estimate she has made of the number of work days contracted out in each such year.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office has not contracted out any services since 2010.

Service Pupil Premium

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been in receipt of the service pupil premium each year since 2010.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students who are eligible for the service pupil premium have not received that premium in the last 12 months.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the take-up of the service pupil premium in the last 12 months.

Edward Timpson: The Service Pupil Premium (SPP), which was introduced in April 2011, is additional funding that schools receive to support the educational needs of their pupils who are currently or have recently been Service children in recognition of the specific challenges children that service families face and as part of the commitment to delivering the armed forces covenant. The following table sets out the numbers of pupils attracting the Service Pupil Premium since its introduction: Year2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Pupils attracting SPP45,07052,37057,94064,39068,77173,415 We have allocated more than £22.0 million in 2016/17 financial year to support the needs of over 73,000 Service pupils through the SPP.Schools are encouraged to identify children eligible for the SPP in their school census returns and the funding is allocated to schools based on these returns.

Nurseries: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that nurseries have access to adequate funding to afford well-qualified staff.

Caroline Dinenage: We are increasing spending on childcare support to over £6 billion per year by 2019-20. We are investing £1 billion extra every year for the early years entitlements, including over £300 million a year to increase the hourly funding rates for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. The Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) allocates this investment fairly and transparently, so that early years providers, including nurseries, can deliver free childcare on a sustainable and high-quality basis. From April 2017, 80% of local authorities will see increases in their funding rates for 3 and 4 year olds, and all will receive increases in their hourly rates for 2 year olds. The EYNFF allows local authorities to use a quality supplement in their local formulas to recognise workforce qualifications. We have also committed to developing an early years workforce strategy to help employers attract, retain and develop staff to deliver high quality provision.

Free Schools: Land

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total value is of public land transferred to free schools since the establishment of such schools.

Edward Timpson: Land acquired for free schools, including sites transferred from other public use, remains in public ownership. Free schools are delivering good quality places in areas where these are needed.

Schools: Construction

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the condition of schools built in the 1960s under Second Consortium of Local Authorities programme.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the condition of schools built in the 1960s under Second Consortium of Local Authorities programme in (a) Hampshire and (b) North East Hampshire.

Nick Gibb: The Property Data Survey (PDS) was carried out to gather high level condition data on schools in the education estate, in order to better inform the Department on how to allocate capital funding to schools. The PDS provided condition data on 18,830 schools in England and provided condition data on each block in schools (59,967 blocks across the school estate).Information on the age of school blocks was collected through the PDS and the categories used to define the age of blocks were Pre 1919, Inter War, 1945 to 1966, 1967 to 1976, post 1976 and temporary premises. The PDS did not specifically identify blocks built between 1960 and 1969. We did, however, identify buildings built between 1945 to 1966 and 1967 to 1976.The PDS gathered condition data on a majority of schools in Hampshire. The Department does not hold specific condition information on blocks built in the 1960s under the Second Consortium of Local Authorities programme.The Department is currently undertaking a new data collection; the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme. This is the successor to the PDS. It aims to build on the successes of PDS in collecting independent centrally managed data about the condition of the school estate nationally.The programme will commence in February 2017 and continue until autumn 2019. We aim to collect data on all state funded schools excluding Independent Specialist Providers, Special Post 16 Institutions and Further Education colleges. The data collected should provide information on areas of the highest condition need and drive our approach on how we invest in order to prioritise funding.

Pupil Premium

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help identify children who are entitled to the pupil premium.

Edward Timpson: The pupil premium is allocated to schools for pupils who have claimed free school meals at any point in the past six years and those who are in care, or who left care through adoption or other routes. Those claiming free schools meals (FSM) form the majority and we want all parents whose children are entitled to apply for them.To support this, the Department for Education provides an electronic Eligibility Checking System that allows local authorities promptly to check data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, the Home Office and HMRC in order to establish FSM eligibility. The Department has also provided a model registration form and accompanying guidance that schools can use as part of their enrolment process.We want to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility for FSM; the Department will continue to explore ways to make FSM eligibility checking as effective as possible. Schools notify the Department of their FSM-eligible and adopted pupils through the annual school census; local authorities provide the department with information about children they are looking after through the annual local authority census known as SSDA903. The Department publishes guidance to support respondees for the school census here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-census-2016-to-2017-guide-for-schools-and-las and for the Children looked after return here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/children-looked-after-return.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the results of polling commissioned by Save the Children, published in February 2017, on the majority of parents wanting the Government to ensure that every nursery in England has a qualified early years teacher.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Education will be publishing an early years workforce strategy in due course, which will seek to remove the barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff. The strategy will include a focus on what government can do to help grow the graduate workforce.We make early years initial teacher training places available to meet the demand from the market. Funding is available for training course fees, with additional funding for nursery employers to help them support graduates in their setting to become early years teachers. To encourage the best graduates into the early years workforce we provide bursaries to eligible trainees.

Basic Skills: Primary Education

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of data published by Save the Children in February 2017 on the number of children at risk of finishing primary school without important skills in English by 2020.

Nick Gibb: Reaching a high level of fluency in reading and writing by the end of primary school is fundamental to achievement in education and critical for everyday life. We want all children, regardless of their background, to leave primary school able to read and write to a high standard.The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for the provision of development and care from birth to age five. This includes a focus on literacy, communication and language. The EYFS Profile results have shown an increase in the percentage of children achieving a good level of development – from 51.7% in 2013 to 69% in 2016.The results from the 2016 EYFS Profile show that 72.1% of children achieved at least the expected level in all early learning goals in literacy in 2016 compared with 60.7% in 2013. For communication and language 81.6% of children achieved at least the expected level in all learning goals in communication and language compared to 72.2% in 2013.The English curriculum introduced in 2014 places a renewed focus on phonics, as evidence shows that systematic synthetic phonics is the most effective approach to teaching young children to read. To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 primary schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. The results from this year’s phonics screening check show that, since the introduction of the phonics check in 2012, over 147,000 more six year olds are now on track to become excellent readers. Almost 9 in 10 pupils (89%) who met the expected standard of phonic decoding in year 1 went on to reach the expected standard in reading at the end of Key Stage 1. The Year 7 Catch-up Premium provides additional funding for secondary schools to support pupils who did not reach the expected level in reading and/or mathematics by the end of primary school.

Children in Care

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England had (i) between 10 and 20 and (ii) more than 20 looked-after children attending such schools in the last 12 months.

Edward Timpson: This information is not available in the format requested.

Children: Communication Skills

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the results of polling commissioned by Save the Children, published in February 2017, on the proportion of children in Nottingham North constituency on free school meals who did not reach the expected level of speech and language skills by age five in 2015.

Caroline Dinenage: The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (EYFS) sets out the key areas of learning which every provider must follow. This includes a focus on literacy and communication and language. We are seeing year on year improvements in the communications and language area of learning. In 2013, 59.9% of children eligible for FSM achieved at least the expected level in the communication and language area of Learning, compared to 75.0% of all other children. In 2016, 71.2% of children eligible for FSM achieved at least the expected level in the communication and language area of learning, compared to 83.3% of all other children.For Nottingham North, in 2015, 75.1% of children eligible for FSM achieved at least the expected level in the communication and language area of learning, compared to 79.8% of all other children. In 2016, 74.9% of children eligible for FSM achieved at least the expected level in the communication and language area of learning, compared to 81.2% of all other childrenSocial mobility is at the heart of the Government’s agenda, and that is why we are increasing spending on childcare to over £6 billion per year by 2019-20 – more than any other government.We are working hard to ensure parents and children - wherever they live in England - have access to high quality early years education places through the funded 15 hour entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds and for all three- and four-year-olds. The Early Years Pupil Premium also provides over £300 per eligible child to improve outcomes for disadvantaged three- and four-year-olds.We know that the quality of the workforce has the biggest impact on the children’s outcomes, and over recent years, we have taken steps to improve the quality of the workforce. We are currently developing a workforce strategy to remove the barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff in the early years workforce.

Pupils: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil was in each secondary school in Coventry South constituency in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Secondary schools in the Coventry South constituency received the following schools block funding per pupil for 2016 to 2017:SchoolFunding per pupil (£)Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School5374Coventry Blue Coat CE School5144Ernesford Grange Community Academy6505Finham Park 25957Finham Park School4909Sidney Stringer Academy6786The Westwood Academy5813Whitley Academy5656WMG Academy for Young Engineers5903 The schools block allocations for individual maintained schools and academies for 2016 to 2017 are published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2016-to-2017.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Credit Unions

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Churches Mutual Credit Union (CMCU) has to allow members of religious denominations other than the Church of England and the Catholic churches to become members of the CMCU.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Churches Mutual Credit Union (CMCU) allows member of the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Methodist Church of Great Britain, Church in Wales, Scottish Episcopal Church, United Reformed Church and Catholic Churches in England & Wales and in Scotland to become members.

Church Commissioners: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how many Church Commissioners' staff oversee contracts which have been awarded to external providers.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners external contracts are managed either in partnership with the other National Church Institutions through shared office services schemes or by the Corporation of Church House, who manage the building.Those that fall specifically within the remit of the Church Commissioners are largely located within the Investments Department, who have five members of staff who oversee external contracts within the property investment team and seven members of staff in the investments team.

Church Commissioners: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the procurement spend of Church Commissioners was in each year since 2010.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Information relating to the Church Commissioners procurement spend for the 2010-2016 are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) mean and (b) median pay was for staff in her Department who were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) white, (iv) from an ethnic minority background, (v) disabled and (vi) non-disabled in the most recent year for which information is available, broken down by (A) full-time and (B) part-time workers.

Matt Hancock: The Office for National Statistics publish much of this information each year by Civil Service organisation as part of their annual release of Civil Service statistics. The latest data set from 2016 can be found on the ONS website, available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016Departmental breakdowns of the ethnicity and disability pay gaps are not published through the ONS and are not publicly available.The Civil Service is committed to being a place where everyone can thrive, regardless of background- with the aim of becoming the most inclusive employer in the UKWhilst it is encouraging to see a positive trajectory in terms of diversity representation in the Civil Service, we recognise that there is more to do. That is why in March 2016 the Government published its refreshed Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service, identifying actions to support our staff, increase diversity in the Civil Service and deliver the best possible public services.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equality

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many equality impact assessments have been carried out in the last three years on public service reforms which impact on (a) departmental staff and (b) members of the public; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 February 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Through the Government’s National Cyber Security Programme, my Department is delivering an ambitious set of initiatives to support the growth of and investment in cyber security companies across the United Kingdom, including those from Northern Ireland. In particular, we provide opportunities for early stage companies from across the UK to be represented at selected events where they can showcase their technologies and expertise in order to secure investment. We are also funding the delivery of two cyber innovation centres which are open to companies from across the UK.We are also funding the delivery of ‘Hut Zero’, an accelerator programme for individuals with cyber security ideas , and ‘Cyber 101’ business training ‘bootcamps’ for early stage companies, some of which are being delivered in Northern Ireland. I am particularly delighted that Queen’s University Belfast’s Centre for Secure Information Technology is playing a pivotal role in the delivery of both of those initiatives. DCMS is committed to offering all applicants equality of opportunity to ensure that we attract and retain candidates with the most talent and potential. To this end, the DCMS recruitment process does not require applicants to declare unspent criminal convictions at the initial recruitment stage. Applicants are asked to declare unspent criminal convictions as part of basic employment checks when a provisional offer of employment has been made. Decisions concerning appointment to a post where an individual has a conviction history are made on a case-by-case basis. The department does not retain details centrally that would allow us to identify employees with unspent convictions so the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Matt Hancock: Through the Government’s National Cyber Security Programme, my Department is delivering an ambitious set of initiatives to support the growth of and investment in cyber security companies across the United Kingdom, including those from Northern Ireland. In particular, we provide opportunities for early stage companies from across the UK to be represented at selected events where they can showcase their technologies and expertise in order to secure investment. We are also funding the delivery of two cyber innovation centres which are open to companies from across the UK.We are also funding the delivery of ‘Hut Zero’, an accelerator programme for individuals with cyber security ideas , and ‘Cyber 101’ business training ‘bootcamps’ for early stage companies, some of which are being delivered in Northern Ireland. I am particularly delighted that Queen’s University Belfast’s Centre for Secure Information Technology is playing a pivotal role in the delivery of both of those initiatives. DCMS is committed to offering all applicants equality of opportunity to ensure that we attract and retain candidates with the most talent and potential. To this end, the DCMS recruitment process does not require applicants to declare unspent criminal convictions at the initial recruitment stage. Applicants are asked to declare unspent criminal convictions as part of basic employment checks when a provisional offer of employment has been made. Decisions concerning appointment to a post where an individual has a conviction history are made on a case-by-case basis. The department does not retain details centrally that would allow us to identify employees with unspent convictions so the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

S4C

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with S4C on her Department's contribution to that company's funding over the period of the independent review of S4C.

Matt Hancock: The department has regular discussions with S4C where a range of issues are discussed, including government funding for S4C during the review period.

BBC: Political Impartiality

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made representations to the US Administration related to allegations made by Sebastian Gorka on bias and the impartiality of the BBC on Newsnight on 16 February 2017.

Matt Hancock: The BBC, by virtue of its Royal Charter is operationally and editorially independent. It has a duty to deliver duly impartial and accurate news under both its Charter and the Broadcasting Code. The Government has not made any representations to the US Administration on this matter.

Government Art Collection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in which locations items from the Government Art Collection have been shown in the last 12 months.

Matt Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 27 February 2017.The correct answer should have been:

A list of the locations in which items from the Government Art Collection have been shown in the last 12 months is attached.


List of locations the GAC has been shown 
(PDF Document, 96.94 KB)




List of Locations - Amended - Additions in Red 
(Word Document, 17.87 KB)

Matt Hancock: A list of the locations in which items from the Government Art Collection have been shown in the last 12 months is attached.


List of locations the GAC has been shown 
(PDF Document, 96.94 KB)




List of Locations - Amended - Additions in Red 
(Word Document, 17.87 KB)

Video Games

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the economic benefits of e-sports.

Matthew Pennycook: Industry estimates by Newzoo suggest that the global eSports market were projected to have reached $463 million in 2016. We are keen to grow eSports in the UK and are working with industry to identify opportunities in this sector.

Hearing Aids: Radio Frequencies

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential threat to the effectiveness of digital hearing aids of devices such as smartphones and tablets that operate within the 2.3 GHz and 2.5 GHz bands; and if she will take steps to protect the bandwidth frequency used by hearing aids.

Matt Hancock: We are engaged with stakeholders on this important issue. Determining and reacting to interference to wireless devices is a matter for Ofcom, the independent regulator for spectrum. Ofcom made an initial assessment that there was no issue with the use of adjacent bands but after representations from the assisted listening community have performed additional extensive and rigorous testing, using scenarios suggested by that community. The results of that testing are expected to be published soon, alongside a statement on the auction of 2.3 and 3.4 GHz spectrum.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Angling Trust

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what budget and staffing resources have been allocated by her Department and its agencies to Angling Trust Alert (ATA); what meetings officials of her Department and its agencies have had with ATA in the last three years; and what agreements have been reached at each of those meetings.

George Eustice: The Environment Agency has worked closely with the Angling Trust to develop the Angling Alert system, enabling important messages about illegal fishing and fisheries enforcement to be shared with registered anglers. The system and its costs are organised through the National Angling Strategic Service, which is provided by the Angling Trust for the Environment Agency. All work associated with the Angling Alert system is funded by rod licence income.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle high levels of air pollution in Greater London.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Mayor is responsible for air quality in the capital and has reserve powers under Part IV of the 1995 Environment Act to enable this. Under the Act, the Mayor may direct the boroughs in the Greater London area concerning how they should assess and prioritise action in their areas. From September 2020 an Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be introduced in London. The ULEZ will apply to all cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs and will cover the same area as the current Congestion Charge Zone. The Government is firmly committed to improving the UK’s air quality and cutting harmful emissions. That is why we have committed more than £2 billion since 2011 to reduce transport emissions and the autumn statement provided a further £290 million to support greener transport. Air quality is improving, but the Government recognises that we need to go further and faster and we will be consulting on a new national plan by 24 April. The final plan will be in place by the end of July.

Microplastics

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the ban on the use of microbeads, announced by her Department on 3 September 2016, is comprehensive and effective; and if she will inform the House of the lessons learned from the ban on those products in the US.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are currently running a consultation on our proposals which end on 28th February 2017. The US ban has not yet come into force, but we will continue to monitor its progress and look to learn any lessons from its approach.

Squirrels: Conservation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect the red squirrel population in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to protecting and expanding red squirrel populations and tackling the threats that grey squirrels pose to them. The Forestry Commission works with Natural England and other bodies as part of the Red Squirrel Northern England Project, a conservation project to help protect red squirrels and expand the biggest population of red squirrels left in England. In addition, the Forestry Commission has been undertaking a number of actions to protect red squirrels from the impact of grey squirrels resulting from an updated grey squirrel action plan for England. Defra has also provided £39,000 for the initial stage of work by the Animal and Plant Health Agency to develop a fertility control method for grey squirrels.We are also working together with a range of stakeholders under the UK Squirrel Accord, which aims to promote partnership working to increase public awareness and support for action to protect red squirrels and woodlands from grey squirrels.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what the (a) mean and (b) median pay was for staff in the Law Officers' Departments who were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) white, (iv) from an ethnic minority background, (v) disabled and (vi) non-disabled in the most recent year for which information is available, broken down by (A) full-time and (B) part-time workers.

Jeremy Wright: The (a) mean and (b) median pay for the employees of the Law Officer’s Departments who were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) white, (iv) from an ethnic minority background, (v) disabled and (vi) non-disabled, broken down by full time and part time workers, is as follows:Full-timeAGOGLDHMCPSICPSSFO MeanMedianMeanMedianMeanMedianMeanMedianMean MedianMale£56,239£61,218£52,276£50,491£57,848£63,76041,63538,263£43,976£36,714Female£45,223£34,230£47,700£48,470£44,742£48,93735,51227,954£38,788£33,123White£44,455£25,175£51,955£49,035£48,190£51,20038,88032,325£44,614£37,658BAMELess than 5*£40,851£39,292Less than 5*36,03127,954£36,706£33,024DisabledLess than 5*£47,883£48,470Less than 5*37,49631,231£40,874£34,953Non-disabled£48,619£50,948£48,720£48,470£52,423£56,95237,97731,244£43,054£36,556 Part-timeAGOGLDHMCPSICPSSFO  MeanMedianMeanMedianMeanMedianMeanMedianMeanMedian MaleLess than 5*£62,175£63,361Less than 5*42,99650,507£44,691£39,347FemaleLess than 5*£56,970£57,818Less than 5*35,59227,954£44,286£29,847WhiteLess than 5*£57,473£61,218Less than 5*36,28127,954£45,375£39,585BAMELess than 5*£52,676£54,750Less than 5*34,58427,954£38,589£31,100DisabledLess than 5*£57,673£57,432Less than 5*35,56427,954£38,302£38,302Non-disabledLess than 5*£56,401£57,038Less than 5*35,77027,954£44,149£38,234 *means there are less than 5 people in the category and therefore figures are not shown as there is the possibility of people being identified CPS figures are for year 2015/16 and GLD figures are calculated based on salaries on 31 January 2017

Attorney General: Government Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, what the total (a) number and (b) value of Government contracts that have been contracted out by the Law Officers' Departments was in each year since 2010; what the value of pro bono costs was in each such year; and what estimate he has made of the number of work days contracted out in each such year.

Robert Buckland: Contracted out is defined as ‘the transfer of the provision of services previously performed by in-house personnel to an external organisation under a contract with agreed costs and conditions’.The Government Legal Department (GLD ) and Attorney General’s Office (AGO)primarily provide legal services to government and while they use external suppliers, including law firms and barristers, to support this legal work, none would fall under the definition of contracted out and therefore no pro bono work has been received as part of such arrangements.The (AGO), GLD and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) use third party suppliers to provide human resources, finance, information technology, facilities management and other accommodation services. Some elements of these services may have previously been provided in-house but there has been no significant contracting out of these services since 2010. There are no plans for significant contracting out in 2016-17.SFOThe SFO’s procurement team oversees contract awards at the SFO and has records of 944 contracts awarded since 2010. Some low value contracts which are handled by individual teams may not be captured in these records. To provide a breakdown of the number awarded and cost per year would require data to be gathered manually and therefore incur a disproportionate cost.Since 1 April 2015, details of SFO contracts over £10,000 have been published on https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder .The SFO does not undertake or commission pro bono work.SFO contracts are not awarded or recorded on a working day basis, and it would incur disproportionate cost to review each contract in order to provide an estimate.Crown Prosecution Service:Since 2012 the Crown Prosecution Service has shared a purchasing service with the Government Legal Department. The department does not hold complete records of the information and to assemble the material would incur disproportionate cost. Estimates of the number and value of contracts completed by the Commercial team have been made as follows: Financial year endedNo. ContractsEstimated Value (£000s)31 March 20133116,27331 March 20142332,00431 March 20155027,08331 March 2016818,964- 28 February 20176613,085 It has not been practical to estimate the value of pro bono costs or the number of work days contracted out in each year.Since January 2011, central government departments have been required to publish details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archiveThose published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Rolls-Royce

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Attorney General, with how many prosecuting authorities in other countries the Serious Fraud Office has shared information arising out of its investigation into bribery and corruption allegations concerning Rolls-Royce; what the Serious Fraud Office's policy is on the exchange of such information; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland: The SFO works closely with trusted partners around the world. Developing and using those relationships to the mutual benefit of the citizens of the jurisdictions concerned is a central part of the UK’s strategy to combat cross border economic crime. For operational reasons the SFO does not comment on cases that are under active investigation or on relations with overseas partners in connection with such cases.The SFO will continue to treat any requests for mutual legal assistance from overseas authorities that may be connected to this investigation, in line with UK government policy and international convention.Information about the Rolls Royce investigation and the recent Deferred Prosecution Agreement is available on the SFO website at;https://www.sfo.gov.uk/2017/01/17/sfo-completes-497-25m-deferred-prosecution-agreement-rolls-royce-plc/ .

Wales Office

Wales Office: Information Officers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff of his Department are employed in media relations and communications roles; and how much was spent on the salaries of such staff members in each of the last 10 years.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office currently employs 6 staff in media relations and communication roles. The total salary costs (including National Insurance and pension costs) spent on such staff members in each of the last 7 years is shown below: Financial YearSpend on Salaries* £2009/10244,8882010/11201,8482011/12262,3502012/13326,1462013/14183,2712014/15350,6372015/16330,759 *The spend on salaries includes staff on maternity leave and those covering their post in their absence.We do not hold the information requested prior to 2009-10.

Wales Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many civil servants in his Department oversee contracts which have been awarded to external providers.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office receives procurement services from the Ministry of Justice. We therefore do not hold the information that you have requested.

Ministry of Justice

Alternatives to Prosecution

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how often each out of court disposals panel met in each constabulary area in England in 2016; how many cases were examined by each of those panels during that period; how many of those cases (a) related to a caution, (b) were dealt with by restorative justice, (c) related to a youth caution, (d) were dealt with by a fixed penalty notice and caution, (e) were dealt with by youth triage and (f) were dealt with by a conditional caution during that period; and how many of those cases related to (i) youths and (ii) adults.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested is not held centrally.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal fee remission claims there have been in each month of the last five years; and how many of those claims have been successful.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information on the number of Employment Tribunal fee remission claims received each month since fees were introduced in July 2013, and the number of those claims which were successful from July 2013 to September 2016, is shown in the tables below: Issue fees Remission applicationsRemission awarded remission (full or partial)YearMonthTotalTotal2013Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec96 730 984 1,293 1,120 1,08624 201 274 300 306 3262014Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec1,178 1,104 1,191 798 500 615 857 735 836 806 667 726362 370 436 295 192 291 375 313 376 407 318 3522015Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec871 820 870 731 766 786 783 638 698 717 814 720412 399 415 369 419 401 441 359 429 450 529 4502016Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul(p) Aug(p) Sep(p)775 680 758 730 704 784 727 735 799535 432 494 472 462 506 412 390 419 Hearing fees  Remission applicationsRemission awarded remission (full or partial)YearMonthTotalTotal2013Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec- - 23 58 97 140- - 13 23 38 802014Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec216 209 233 262 282 297 310 237 240 272 249 273110 108 143 180 210 232 232 177 192 227 212 2352015Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec301 267 269 237 194 271 296 248 306 312 304 318253 209 231 197 156 234 251 215 278 282 277 2832016Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul(p) Aug(p) Sep(p)299 337 294 265 240 257 164 165 156272 295 264 227 212 224 122 132 130  Source: online Employment Tribunal fees administrative systemNOTES:(p) The tables include provisional data from July - September 2016. Figures and proportion awarded remission are likely to increase upon revision in subsequent quartersFigures are from 29 July 2013 (when the Employment Tribunal fees were introduced)All data in the tables are provisional and subject to revisions in future quarter

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Department for Exiting the European Union on the contents of the White Paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, Cm 9417, published in February 2017.

Ben Gummer: The Cabinet Office and other Departments are working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union on all aspects of exiting the European Union.

Cabinet Office: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much income has been accrued to his Department from premium rate telephone lines in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer: There are no records of any non-geographic numbers used by the Cabinet Office. No income has been generated or accrued.The Cabinet Office policy for customer service lines is in-line with the guidance on department’s use of telephone prefixes and free numbers the Government published in 2015, which can be found on GOV.UK.

Government Departments: Procurement

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of government procurement is from UK companies.

Ben Gummer: Information on the nationality of suppliers is not routinely held centrally.However, the most recent analysis of contracts won by firms with UK addresses was set out in HMG's Balance of Competences Service review in the summer of 2014:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-uk-and-eu-balance-of-competences-call-for-evidence-on-the-single-market-free-movement-of-services .This showed that UK firms won more than 95% of UK contracts advertised EU-wide, either by number or value.

Government Departments: Procurement

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with companies with which the Government has contracts on corporate social responsibility and the payment of corporation tax.

Ben Gummer: The Cabinet Office regularly conducts confidential reviews of all government strategic suppliers. These reviews cover a range of issues, including corporate citizenship. Compliance with corporation tax is a matter for HM Revenue & Customs.

Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2017 to Question 63244, from which organisations or individuals the Trustees of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) sought professional advice regarding the long-term risks to the financial performance of the PCPF of that fund's investments in the fossil fuel extractive industry.

Ben Gummer: The professional investment advisors appointed by the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund Trustees are Hymans Robertson.They have been employed by the PCPF Trustees as their professional investment advisors since 2008. The Trustees follow standard public procurement guidelines to appoint all professional advisors to the Fund.

Opinion Polls

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what research his Department has conducted into the methodology used for polls conducted by his Department since 24 June 2016.

Chris Skidmore: Our policy on how we approach polling or any other research remains unchanged since June 2016. Where research is deemed necessary, we will select the most appropriate methodology and commission research in line with industry standard guidelines (as set out in the Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct). All agencies on our research frameworks operate to standards set out in this Code.